


Mismatched Electrostatic

by Develation



Series: Electricity [1]
Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Aftertale (Undertale), Alternate Universe - Crosstale | XTale (Undertale), Alternate Universe - Dreamtale (Undertale), Alternate Universe - Dusttale (Undertale), Alternate Universe - Errortale (Undertale), Alternate Universe - Freshtale (Undertale), Alternate Universe - Horrortale (Undertale), Alternate Universe - Inktale (Undertale), Alternate Universe - Killertale (Undertale), Alternate Universe - Outertale (Undertale), Alternate Universe - Underfell (Undertale), Alternate Universe - Underswap (Undertale), Alternate Universes, And lots more..., Blood and Violence, Creation, Destruction, Drama, Dreams and Nightmares, Emotional Hurt, Emotional Manipulation, Feels, Forced God Of Creation Inktale Sans (Undertale), Forced God Of Destruction Errortale Sans (Undertale), Gods, Guardians - Freeform, Hallucinations, Heavy Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Insanity, Major Character Injury, Memory Loss, Mental Breakdown, Multiverse, Other, Physical Abuse, Plot, Redemption, Regret, Scars, Self-Harm, Teamwork, Torture, tense relationships
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-04
Updated: 2021-03-07
Packaged: 2021-03-08 01:15:21
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 13
Words: 46,538
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26827207
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Develation/pseuds/Develation
Summary: You can't remember your past.Just little glimpses of a life that you used to live, now lost along the glitched and destroyed coding of a time when everything was falling apart.Even if you don't remember it, you can still feel it.The mismatched electrostatic that filled your soul with such dread and terror. Demanding you to never stop dancing this destructive dance.It's why you were created, why you exist. Fulfilling a cycle of balance that you can never escape.You are Destruction, and Destruction is you.That's all there is to it, and that's all there will ever be of you.PART 1: Irresolute InceptionsPART 2: Ameliorating DeliriumsPART 3: Fabricating Eradications and Pugnacious Incubus
Relationships: Blue & Error, Cross & Dream, Cross/Dream, Dream & Nightmare, Error & Cross, Error & Dream, Error & Ink, Error & Nightmare, ink & dream
Series: Electricity [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2089485
Comments: 196
Kudos: 236





	1. Evocation

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [What Binds Us](https://archiveofourown.org/works/25782697) by [LindChives](https://archiveofourown.org/users/LindChives/pseuds/LindChives). 
  * Inspired by [we & us](https://archiveofourown.org/works/25393315) by [Vento_Store](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Vento_Store/pseuds/Vento_Store). 

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Evocation:  
> *the act of bringing or recalling a feeling, memory, or image to the conscious mind.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay so I was never really into the multiple AUs thing, sure I love Underverse and I have my favorites but for fics, It was kinda meh.
> 
> And then I had this idea, and welp here we are!
> 
> So this is kinda inspired by Harrish6's Forced God of Destruction AU with a bit of a twist on it. Okay scratch that, a lot of a twist on it. Error is honestly completely different here as well as Ink, Dream, Nightmare (and his crew), Fresh, and Blue.
> 
> All of there personalities are explored a little differently in this fic especially Ink's. So just be prepared for something different and unique.
> 
> Uh, but without further ado, I hope you enjoy the first chap!

PART 1: 

Irresolute Inceptions 

* * *

It was static.

This fuzz and numbness that never seemed to end.

How it surrounded you, how it consumed your every limb.

Crawling and devouring like a virus with no cure, an unsolvable problem that annoyed you to no end.

You remember comparing this feeling to something similar - no, something you _thought_ was similar a very long time ago.

You can’t remember the details - you can barely remember anything from before - but you can conclude that your past self had been very, very wrong.

Whatever that feeling was, it was not comparable to this static… 

No… nothing was comparable to this.

It covered your pieced-together soul in waves, pulsing like that of a living being.

You wanted to escape.

You wanted to escape _this_.

Yet you couldn’t move.

Why… why couldn’t you? Your limbs were there so why…?

Why did you feel so trapped?

The static grew higher and you glitched at the feeling, your white, stitched together soul quivered in suppressed fear.

_Young soul…_

No…

_… you are connected… you are…_ _  
__  
_

No.

_It is your duty… as a god…_

No, it wasn’t.

_You are…_

No, you never were.

_…Eradication…_

This wasn’t you.

_…Ruthlessness…_

Stop.

_…Relentlessness…_

Stop it! You never wanted this!

_…Obliteration…_

Shut up.

_...Remorselessness…_

Shut up!

_...you are…_

_...Destruction… and…_

SHUT UP!

_You are…_

_ERROR._

  
  
  


* * *

  
  


You gasped awake, bones shaking with leftover feelings of fear and dread.

You never used to dream before this.

Or had you?

You don’t know. You can’t remember… but it doesn’t matter.

Not anymore at least.

Your multicolored eyelights stared down at your boney fingers, tips a bright yellow leaving the last two segments a stark red and black metacarpals that matched the color of your skull.

Glaring down at them as if that had betrayed you in some unknown way, and then taking a deep breath, you looked away.

Nightmares…

You hated nightmares.

Or was it a dream… you simply couldn’t tell the difference anymore.

Both of their creators probably hated you anyway.

You had failed both of them.

It wasn’t your job to protect them, it never was.

Yet, you felt as if you held some responsibility toward them, their well-being, their happiness.

But in the end, you had failed.

You both did.

Heh, some gods you were.

The hammock you had made out of your strings rocked as you stepped off of it, onto the floor of the white abyss you called home.

The Anti-Void.

Not a particularly creative name but, you weren’t exactly well versed on that side of the spectrum.

A nest of deep blue strings covered the “ceiling” of the section of the void you resided in. It served as a sort of marker, a way to create a place in an abyss that was technically “placeless”. The string's magic signature was like a sort of beacon, to ensure that you never got lost.

That and to add some color, the seemingly endless white would be enough to drive anyone insane.

The blue was nice, calming almost, a nice contrast against the small gleams of red that they incased.

Souls.

Determination souls to be exact, all trapped in your web of strings.

It’s not a desirable way to go but, that's not really your fault now was it?

Destruction was necessary, and those stupid reset assets would get in the way if you didn’t find a way to keep them from resetting.

This was the only solution you found, and you're too lazy to look for others.

Your black trench coat shifted as you stretched, trying to rid the sleep from your bones. You should really stop sleeping. Gods didn’t need to sleep, and all it was doing was just giving you dreams.

But you liked having a routine, it helped keep you focused.

Being unfocused was an awful thing.

You don’t exactly know why but, you have a feeling it has to do with the past you don’t remember. 

The past you do remember isn’t very pleasant, yet the fact that you can remember it clearly after all this time was comforting.

You had been formed in this same very void.

The static had consumed you and your soul wouldn’t stop screaming.

So, you shut it up.

But as it went quiet you remembered a promise.

Was it your promise? You don’t know. 

Yet it sounded so familiar…

The short memory poured over you like a bucket of ice-cold water and you realized your mistake.

Suddenly, too suddenly, you didn’t want to die.

Acting on impulse and desperation, you used your own tears and sorrow to pull your soul back together. Stitching and tying the pieces back together in a way that shouldn’t be possible.

Yet somehow, you had managed to glitch your way through the barrier between life and death.

Because gods don’t die, they can’t die.

They are not allowed to give up.

The first time you had destroyed a universe you could only feel the ease of pain on your soul.

The pain had been building the longer you sat around and did nothing, the longer you sat around wondering what it wanted you to destroy.

The screams and pleading of the universe’s assets were lost in your desire to relieve the pain.

And after ripping the copy’s code from the ground up you had realized what being the god of destruction really meant.

Normal assets, no, people would’ve been horrified. Having to kill whole universes just to not be in pain.

You didn’t really feel anything like that though. No, you felt a strange rush of eagerness and freedom.

You knew it was wrong. But… It was your duty, your job.

So why not enjoy it?

  
  


* * *

  
  


Out of all the alternate universes that Creation has made so far, OuterTale has to be your favorite.

You had watched part of its creation, interested in the colors and coding of the universe in question. 

Most, if not all of the time, Creation usually just sets the coding to a sort of “what if” programming. Letting the universe have its own freedom, letting the assets write their own story.

Sometimes they turned out good, sometimes bad but, that's just the beauty of creation.

Your own tear-stained cheekbones showed for it, even if Creation had not played a part in your, well… creation.

But that's beside the point, the main thing is that your opposite had actually coded this world to be peaceful for the most part.

After all, is being banished to space all that bad for monsters?

If it meant you got to see this view, then you certainly don’t think so.

Looking at the stars and galaxies helped calm the static in your soul, helped make your thoughts go quiet.

If only for a little bit.

You knew that widow of time had already passed when the twinge in your soul grew more demanding.

Sighing, you stood up and off the ledge where the void of lights and cool colors meet rocky ground. Your bones creaking with effort, as you had been sitting there for a while. 

Hours?

Days?

You have no clue. It’s hard to tell time when you exist outside of time and space.

With the wave of a bony hand, you opened a glitchy portal to UnderTale copy No.5, the portal showing this universe’s version of The Ruins.

You had been watching this copy for a while, it’s code had started to glitch as an unforeseen anomaly took place. Probably the AU’s reset asset using its power so much that it ended up corrupting the code.

Typical.

Your black sandals scuffed against the rocky ground and you chuckled, a familiar rise of excitement racing through your spine.

Here we go.

* * *

This AU was going to be easier to destroy than the last one.

Normally humans could be taken out easily, just some sifting through files, picking the right folder, and bam, every non-high magical soul was deleted just like that. Nice and clean. Then all you had to do was take out the monsters manually and capture the reset asset.

The last Universe you had to destroy contained mage assets.

Stars you hated mage assets.

Every time you would have to search the entire AU just to find the stupid things because they had to be _manually destroyed._

Here there were no mages, just normal humans.

Thank stars.

You had already made it through The Ruins and Snowdin, but of course like always the Sans of this AU had fled somewhere after you took out his brother.

Seriously if those slippery assets could just hold still for _two star damned seconds!_

Rubbing a hand down your face you sighed, you knew if you sat here long enough the Undyne of this glitched place would show up. Then after that you would need to find the reset asset before they undid all of your hard work. It was always frustrating when that happened.

You're honestly surprised the Frisk of this world hasn’t done anything yet, you’ve been pretty lazy about catching them.

Eh, maybe lady luck is just on your side today.

Looking through the code again to see how many assets you had left, you noticed a couple of files go out.

Huh, looks like he’s here again. 

Honestly, why are you even surprised? That guardian has been following you around whenever you went to destroy universes, feeding off of the assets' panic and suffering.

You always felt him watching from the background, his cold presence never escaped your awareness.

You knew he wanted something from you. 

That guardian always wants something from everyone.

But despite his suspicious involvement in your work you let him be, he wasn’t really doing anything to slow you down. If anything, all that killing he did on the side sped up the process.

So you just shrugged it off and let it happen, but now…

That freak was messing with your dreams.

You knew he was, that same coldness.

Seriously, was destroying entire universes not creating enough negativity to satisfy him.

Heh, and you thought you were a sadist.

The clank of armor disrupted your thoughts and you moved off the cavern wall. Your glitched and static-filled voice echoing through the sound of running water.

“ ~~Finally, there you are. I was wondering if I’d actually have to go and find you myself.~~ ”

The battle was as easy and exhilarating as always, her monologue was fun to listen to and made her a toy worth savoring. The movies were right, the people that fought back _were_ the fun ones.

Maybe you should leave an Undyne for that guardian next time, playing with her would probably get him in a better mood to stop messing with you.

You could kill him sure but…

You liked having feelings, so killing was a no go.

The asset fought in your strings, screaming about how you would pay for this for the third time when you heard the movement of tar and the coldness grow close.

The Undyne went quiet.

**“Well, well, well, look who it is. Greetings Error… or should I be more formal when addressing you? You are a god after all.”**

Rolling your mismatched eyelights, you turned your head to look behind you, but didn’t move the rest of your body.

Nightmare stood as proud and full of himself as always.

His tar-covered form always had that stupid turquoise glare that hurt your eyes to look at matched with the wrong lighting and his four tentacles swayed passively behind him. You could still see the remanence of monster dust from recent kills on them, stuck to the tar like some kind of trophy. 

You knew he was doing that on purpose, the same reason he wore that same outfit as most Sans’.

It created extra negativity.

Staring long and hard at his face your white eyelight sharpened in the sea of red that was your eye socket at his smile.

You were not looking forward to this conversation.

“ ~~Don’t play with me, Guardian, you’ve been following me around long enough to know that I don’t care.~~ ”

Nightmare’s smile widened, and his single eyelight grew sharper as well.

**“Of course, of course! Wouldn’t want to upset the God of Destruction now would I~?”**

Ugh, you really didn’t want to deal with this right now.

Turning your body to face the corrupted guardian you stared at him long and hard before speaking.

“ ~~I don’t have time for this right now, so I’d prefer if you’d either get to the point or leave.~~ ”

His smile dropped at that, a hiss of aggravation escaping between his teeth, the smug act seeming to drop and crumple like a wet paper towel. 

Tentacles sharpening, he spoke in a more hiss like speech, **“You’d better watch your tongue Destruction, or shall I teach you some respect.”**

Respect… from him? Now that was a funny joke.

You threw your head back and barked a glitched laugh, “ ~~A lesson on respect, from you? Really Guardian, you know that creatures like us don’t know the first thing about respect.~~ ”

Before Nightmare could retort, you felt your strings snap and the clank of armor hitting rock.

Ah, you forgot about her.

You turned around to fix your mistake when a tentacle flew past you and embedded itself in the Undyne’s head, slicing downward before curling around her soul and crushing it completely.

Wow, and he wanted to teach you about respect.

You turned back to Nightmare with a flat expression on your face, shoving your hands in your coat.

“ ~~Really… I had it covered you know.~~ ”

He just smiled back.

**“Of course, I had no doubt in my mind you had it completely covered.”**

Pinching the bridge of your noise you sighed, “ ~~Your sarcasm isn’t appreciated.~~ ”

He chuckled before responding, smile curving upwards.

**“Even so, I would like to think it adds some humor to our rather needlessly tense conversation.”**

Gritting your teeth, you spoke back with more aggression than before.

“ ~~Are you going to get to the point or not? I don’t have all day Nightmare.~~ ”

He seemed a little taken back that you knew his name, as this is the first time the both of you had actually talked. Of course, his slip of the mask wasn’t obvious, but years of people watching have done you some good on how to read people.

Nightmare’s brow twitched, and his eyelight flashed a little brighter than before.

**“I suppose I could speed this interaction up. After all, the faster this goes the faster we can get rid of our little problem.”**

You leaned back, brows slanting in confusion.

“ ~~What do you mean~~ ~~_“our problem”_ ~~ ~~?~~ ”

His smile widened, **“Oh you know exactly what I’m talking about, ever heard of a skeleton that carries around a giant paintbrush. Does the name “Ink” ring a bell?”**

Oh, you knew where this was going.

“ ~~If you think I’m going to help you in your little plan of killing Creation, think again. I’m not in the mood for teaming up with anyone to kill my opposite, let alone you.~~ ”

Welp if you hadn’t pissed him off before you definitely set him off now.

The guardian let out a hissing growl, tentacles sharpening once again, all twitching and aiming there bladed ends at you. The air grew colder, and the surrounding area grew darker.

**“I should kill you for that insolent tongue of yours-!”**

“ ~~But you won’t.~~ ”

You cut him off, tired of the guardian’s games. That and the fact that you needed to finish this little interaction quickly so you could be done with destroying this AU.

Walking closer to his form you raised your head high, taking advantage of the height difference you had over the tar-covered skeleton.

“ ~~You can’t kill me because I’m stronger than you, and you know it. But you also won’t kill me because I’m useful to you, even if I don’t want to cooperate with your little plan. My job still creates plenty of negativity for you to feed off of so I don’t understand why you're complaining. Just enjoy the fact that I won’t kill you for~~ ~~_your own_ ~~ ~~insolence and let me do my work.~~ ”

You were bluffing obviously, you would never kill Nightmare, as stated before you liked having feelings. That and, for other reasons you weren’t willing to admit.

But he didn’t need to know that.

Nightmare’s hissing had almost turned to screeching before he reeled himself back in, eyelight moving off to the side, seemingly weighing his options before submitting. Tentacles now returning to their passive state, the guardian‘s form slowly melted into the ground, his eyelight moving back to make contact with yours.

**“You will come to regret that decision, Error, don’t come crying to me when the Creator decides to make artwork of your dust and blood. You can’t run from that paint skeleton forever, he will come to discover your existence sooner or later.”**

Simply smiling at the guardian, you looked down at him knowingly, “ ~~Oh trust me, I realized that a long time ago, just stopped caring enough to do anything about. He’ll find me when he finds me and I’ll go from there.~~ ”

Nightmare’s retreating form smiled back at you in a way that seemed condescending, like how an abusive parent would look at their clueless child.

**“That is such a silly way to handle such a problematic situation, you really are more foolish than I thought.”**

And with that, his head sank into the puddle he had made of himself, the pile of tar raising before shooting off ahead through the caves of Waterfall.

He was most likely going off to kill the king, he always did enjoy taking down the bigger targets as there was more bulk to hack away at with his tentacles.

Heh, that sadist.

You could’ve said something about him messing with you in your sleep but you didn’t feel like arguing with that freak. He most likely wouldn’t have stopped anyway.

Turning back around and looking at the pile of dust he had made of Undyne you smiled.

Right, time to get back to work.

Digging your fingers into your eye sockets and twisting your digits with blue string, your yellow and blue-ringed black eyelight slowly moved over to look at an outcrop of rocks.

Throwing your strings behind the rocks you latched onto the soul, pulling it forward and hanging the slightly shaking asset in front of you.

The San’s eyelight's were small white pinpricks, and he stared at you in a mixture of terror and disgust.

“ ~~Y’know,~~ ” You began, smile growing wider with every word, ~~“if I remember correctly there are cameras all over the place here. Was eavesdropping in person really the smartest decision?~~ ” 

You raised an eyebrow at the Sans in question and he seemed to be taken aback by your statement before answering, eyelights making contact with yours.

“well… couldn’t exactly save Undyne through a screen so…”

Oh yeah, you kinda forgot about her for a second.

Your remembrance of Undyne seemed to be taken as a look of surprise by the Sans and his resolve seemed to harden slightly.

“look,” The San’s smile was forced and honestly amusing to look at. “I can tell from that little talk you had with the octopus that you don’t enjoy that guy hanging you around too much.”

Oh? Was trying to talk his way out of this?

That was interesting, very, very interesting.

You could just kill him now but you really want to see if he could actually manage to appeal to your… “better nature” you suppose.

Also… “octopus”?

Now that was funny.

Chuckling slightly at his choice of name-calling you put on your less scary and more sane smile.

“ ~~Your right, I don’t enjoy that~~ ~~_octopus_ ~~ ~~hanging around me all too much. You’ve grabbed my attention.~~ ”

You almost broke down laughing at the flash of hope in The Sans’s eye lights, oh this poor, poor creature.

“so maybe you could let me down? and… i could play around with him for a bit. get him off your back, y’know, help both of us out.”

You made a show of thinking on it before letting your mask of sanity slip, crushing the soul and watching as the asset dusted instantly.

Retracting your strings and letting out an exhale of humid air you chuckled to yourself.

It was a nice try but fruitless in the grand scheme of things.

You still had work to do.

Now, where was that Frisk?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Nightmare: Let's join forces.  
> Error: No.  
> Nightmare:  
> Nightmare: HOW DARE YOU SAY NO TO ME! YOU'RE NOT ALLOWED TO DO THAT! NO ONE IS SUPPOSED TO BE ABLE TO DO THAT-!  
> Error:  
> Nightmare: ...you will rue this day...
> 
> Here it is! We start off with the God of Destruction's and Guardian of Negativity's first official meeting! What do you get when to "evil" forces meet each other? The stronger one tells the other to fuck off.
> 
> If you haven't caught on, this is pretty early on in the story's perspective, a short epoch after the gods, and multiverse's birth. So were starting pretty far back but far enough along where things start to get interesting.
> 
> This Chapter: An unwelcome meeting and viewing of memories
> 
> Next Chapter: A time of watching and past regrets


	2. Lamentation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lamentation:  
> *the passionate expression of grief or sorrow; weeping.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well would you look at that, a weekly update schedule perhaps? In all fairness, I will try for that but we shall see what happens!
> 
> I want to reinforce what I said last time, that the main characters, especially Ink, are going to have their personalities be shown in a different light. I'm doing this to make my story stick out from others and to avoid falling into the carbon copies of fic that all write their characters close to, if not the same way. I will be taking canonicity into account of course, but there will be differences. So if you don't like that then please go read something else, I don't want or need a bunch of people spamming the comments with "that's not how so and so should act" because these and my takes on these characters, and the only one who knows how they would act would be me, and maybe their official creators. So if you don't like it, don't waste your time on it.
> 
> *Side note, nobody has done this or said thing like this yet, everyone who has commented has been sweet and caring. This is just something I wanted to get out to hopefully prevent a shit storm starting.*
> 
> Now that we're done with that enjoy the chap!
> 
> Also... if you didn't catch on to this last chapter
> 
> E-radication  
> R-uthlessness  
> R-elentlessness  
> O-bliteration  
> R-emorselessness
> 
> Creation's and Destruction's names are anagrams.

You ended up destroying two more universes after your little “talk” with Nightmare for no “good” or “moral” reason. Just needing to let off some steam from that stupid guardian’s attitude. 

It was foolish really, you knew you were going to have to confront him one way or another.

Nightmare followed you around like a lost duckling, practically every time you left the Anti-Void he was never too far behind you. And every time you started another round of destruction he was always there to shadow you.

It was annoying.

But most of all it was familiar, and that's why it bothered you so much.

It reminded you of that other guardian’s relationship with Creation, and you didn’t want to be reminded of him.

Dream was nothing but an endless well of positivity, his aura radiating happiness and feelings of the like. So naturally, that soulless god was attracted to him.

Even then, there was more to their little partnership, you could see it in the way Creation’s eyelight’s would brighten their shine whenever he was talking to that little delusion.

You and Creation were born at the same time on opposite ends of the multiverse, Both starting out in different voids yet their looks and torturous effects remained all the same.

And even after you had both destroyed your own souls as a way to break free of your prisons, even after you both found your purposes in this twisted plane.

The both of you were still outcodes.

The both of you were still drowning in your loneliness. 

So having the opportunity to communicate, no, to build a relationship with someone who could maybe understand just the smallest amount of your pain.

Well… you don’t blame Creation for taking it.

Were you jealous? You couldn’t really tell, but something told you that their relationship wasn’t something you should be jealous of. Even then, thoughts like that are a waste of time and mentally taxing.

Thinking about things like that didn’t help or change the situation in any way, shape, or form.

So why couldn’t you stop watching that little, stupid delusion?

  
  


* * *

  
  


_Red._

_The sky was always red._

_The different shades, hues, and values mixed together to paint the sky a horrifying mixture of a seemingly endless sea of blood and gore. The black clouds just added to the disaster of an atmosphere and the dark lighting that covered the land from its wrath helped make a show of what happened in this failure of an AU._

_The grass was almost as black as the clouds, each strand as still as a toothpick, as there was no gentle breeze here._

_Not any more._

_Stepping through the still grass you sat up against the stump of a fallen tree, its bark rotting and falling off in droves. The tree itself had long rotted as most of its leaves and branches had all fallen off. It looked more like a log than an actual tree._

_You could almost pity it._

_It’s a shame you lost the ability to pity most things a long time ago._

_Moving your focus away from the tree, you stared at the still grass below you._

_You should be destroying this universe._

_All of its inhabitants were dead by now, the assets had all killed each other a long time ago in their own cursed rage and bloodlust._

_Well all except one, if you could even count him as alive._

_Your eyelights drifted to the stone figure in front of you, t was the reason you were here after all._

_The figure stood with it’s back facing you, but you had seen it too many times to not have memorized its form by now._

_Its legs stood in a fearful, yet defensive position, right leg one step back from the statue’s left, like it was about to start running away from something._

_The figure’s hands clutched at its own chest, like it was trying to protect something hidden inside of its ribcage. The statues once bright uniform colored golden and mixed with light oranges and deep blacks now had been turned to hard stone. Yet it’s expression showed nothing of the kind, eye sockets blown wide and mouth stuck in a fearful grimace. The product of being turned to stone may have rid it of its golden eyelights and filled its hollow skull with rock, but it made sure to solidify the waterfall of tears on the statue’s face._

_The statue that used to be the guardian of positivity stood tall over a universe of horrors and living nightmares._

_And half of it was all your fault._

_This failure of an idea, of a way to feel and give souls their life had turned into nothing more than a catastrophe._

_A disaster formed by your’s and Creation's hands just because you both looked away at the wrong time._

_You knew it wasn’t really your fault, as the two brothers' well being wasn’t your responsibility._

_You weren’t a protector, not by any means. That was Creation’s job so it would be expected of you not to interfere._

_But you couldn’t help it really, as watching over the two brothers gave you something to do in the early stages of the multiverse. And no matter how hard you tried not to get attached to those idiots the end result was inevitable._

_They were the ones that helped enhance your emotions, so they deserve a little bit of your respect and gratitude._

_Just a little bit._

_But your small fondness could never compare to Ink’s._

_When he wasn’t creating your opposite took pleasure in watching his first successful creations grow and learn. The stupid idiot always looked so proud of them for just existing, which you could understand to a degree but his consent watching would sometimes even creep you out._

_Didn’t that paint freak have anything better to do? Like… his job!?_

_You didn’t think on it too much though, he was still creating at a steady rate so as far as you were concerned it wasn’t your problem._

_You didn’t think anything of the most important universe being the first one created, even though you should have._

_Because first tries never end up successful._

_Creation was a tedious process and getting everything right was crucial. One wrong number, symbol, or letter in the code could cause the complete collapse of a universe in seconds._

_That was only one possible outcome as there were an infinite amount of errors such a mistake could cause._

_Like a sudden detour from the script._

_When the beatings and bullying of Nightmare started you didn’t think anything of it, this was bound to happen and you expected it. Ignoring Creation’s panic at this development you turned a blind eye, knowing that his love for them would prevent any true harm becoming of the brothers._

_Besides, it was part of the script, and every story had its ups and downs._

_It’s not like it was your job to protect them anyway._

_Yet as the abuse continued, and your opposite’s urge to intervene and risk messing with the story increased was when you began to worry._

_But it’s fine, everything was going to be fine. It’s not like you could do anything to change it. Editing already finalized code was impossible, and you knew if you couldn’t do it then Creation couldn’t either._

_So if you couldn’t change the situation, then why should you care?_

_Why should it matter?_

_…_

  
  


_…_

  
  


_…_

_You both had looked away for one second._

_Even if it wasn’t realistically that amount of time, that's what it felt like to you._

_You had been unfocused._

_So when you came back to a red sky and black clouds well…_

_It wasn’t a very pleasant surprise._

_The first thing you did was check the code and the first thing you noticed was the huge hole in it and a missing file._

_Nightmare was gone._

_He left._

_He had become an outcode._

_Ah…_

_Well, that definitely was not supposed to happen._

_You dug deeper into the seemingly endless amount of files, searching for something, anything that you could have missed in previous scans._

_One letter._

_One letter was all it took for everything to go to hell._

_Heightened emotional driven responses to unknown stimuli in non-centric assets._

_Of course._

_Hesitantly you opened a portal closer to what remained of the tree, looking for a sign that the other guardian was still present._

_Even with Nightmare out of the AU and the tree gone, he can still produce negative emotions. Now you just needed to find the other half, because right now you couldn’t exactly tell if you were feeling any positive emotions or not._

_You had taken the luxury of being able to feel more realistic emotions instead of the muted ones you were born with for granted._

_And you thought Creation was the foolish one._

_It didn’t take you long to find the other half, mainly because your opposite was there too and his white and brown outfit stood out against the horror scape that the AU had become._

_As soon as your eyelights locked in on what you were seeing, every bone in your body had turned cold._

_The golden guardian now turned grey with stone, his still form overlooking over the chaos his home had become._

_Creation clung onto the statue made out of the former guardian, mumbling nearly incoherent “I’m sorry”s, clearly trying to seek the warmth and positive energy that Dream’s aura provided and yet only to sob harder in response when finding none._

_You didn’t know what was more shocking._

_That Creation was crying._

_Or that there was a possibility that you could become a muted shell of electrostatic once more._

_You searched for any positive emotion inside of you, anything to prove that the awful fate you had broken free of wouldn’t be able to get its claws on you once more._

_Peace._

_Calm._

_Silence._

_Tranquility._

_Amusement._

_Interest._

_Satisfaction._

_Awe._

_You didn’t want to lose all of that._

_You didn’t stitch your soul back together to live like that, not again._

_You once more pulled up the code, this time not checking if Dream’s folder of files was still there but actually opening it up and scanning each and every line._

_You opened folder after folder, suppressing a flinch when one of Ink’s wailing pleas matched your own thoughts._

_You zeroed in on your target and opened the file with a diligence you didn’t know you possessed._

_…_

_…_

_…_

_Dream was still alive._

_He had absorbed one of the golden apples at some point before his encasement and its energy was keeping him alive, even if the guardian was now dormant._

_You still had access to positive emotions, and the relief that melted the ice from your bones was proof of that._

_Thank the stars._

_Satisfied you closed the portal, leaving Creation to his sorrow, not bothering to tell him the good news. You made portals to all other existing AUs, determined to find what had become of the little nightmare, suppressing the nagging guilt of what had become of him and his brother._

_Even now that guilt still nagged you to no end, a small weight that appeared on your shoulders every time you saw that goopy freak._

_The same guilt that brought you to replay your’s and Creation’s ignorance of this disaster in your mind every time you came back to sit next to the imprisoned_ _guardian._

_Shaking the now seemingly fresh memory out of your skull and letting out a sigh, you shifted positions._

_You had always had a problem with zoning out, it always made your memories more real when thinking about them too hard. And reliving the events of_ that _emotional dilemma was never fun._

_Yet in a way, it was also reassuring, a way to confirm that you could still feel properly with the guilt that came from it and the relief of coming out of it._

_That and it made you feel more real predominantly._

_As nice as the Anti-Void was, it was a mainly sterile environment. Sure you got to experience an actual world when destroying but the loss of sanity while doing your job always seemed to make you feel even more distant._

_So trips to an OuterTale, here, and other AUs just to sit and get lost in how the environment affected your emotions helped make you feel less alone._

_More of an actual person._

_Standing up and stretching your legs, you gave one last look at the statue while opening a portal back to the Anti-Void._

_You almost missed it but looking more closely you could see the slightest hint of a golden glow breaking through the grey of stone._

_Smiling, you walked through and closed the portal behind you._

_Well then, it looks like things were about to get a lot more interesting._

  
  


* * *

  
  


You had watched the two guardians clash again and again, bright yellows and golds mixing with black and turquoise.

And just like that, a new cycle had been born.

You wondered if this outcome was inevitable, that there was nothing you or Creation could have done to prevent it.

Either way it didn’t matter anymore, there were never any second chances for creatures like you. And now the two guardians had gotten caught up in almost the same mess your and Creation were in right now.

Or were about to be.

You knew it was only a matter of time before Creation finds out about you, it was surprising you had made it this far.

Meh, small blessings you suppose.

This time you had chosen to spend your break time on the surface world of UnderSwap Copy No.7, as you had taken a liking to watching the sun rise and fall.

You sat on one of the high cliffs of Mt. Ebbot, not too high but high enough to be well above the entrance/exit to this universe’s underground. You did not want to be caught by a monster coming to visit the underground and seeing you. Creation could get away with blending in and it paying off but you?

You stuck out like a sore thumb, straight proof that the multiverse was made out of code if that someone that found you would be able to put the pieces together.

Breathing in the crisp mountain air you summoned two small red bones and pulled string from your eye sockets to work with.

Knitting was a great way to pass time and occupy yourself when you weren’t doing your job, watching AU’s, or becoming lost in your own thoughts. The movement of your fingers intertwining with string was calming and didn’t require much thought.

Sure watching AU’s was entertaining but the noise of it all got to you after a while.

Loud noises bother you to no end, and it was the reason why you didn’t use your blasters as much as you could.

Even then it was still bearable, but yelling…

Yelling specifically, invoked only what you could describe as a sudden rush of pure fear through your bones.

You hated it as much as you hated how it made you feel weak.

You don’t know where it came from, but that irrational fear irked you relentlessly.

Despite that, you had still managed to learn how to suppress it, if only a little bit. And it’s not too much of a problem if you get rid of the universe’s papyrus or papyrus personality before they had a chance to even utter a single word.

Even then, the booming voices of Asgores and Toriels still made you flinch.

You had made it halfway through the addition to your hammock - having ripped it awhile ago when you had woken up from a relatively bad nightmare - when you felt the slightest displacement of air and felt the presents of a soul behind you milliseconds after.

An outcode soul, and you didn’t even have to stop what you were doing to tell who it was.

There was a shuffle of shoes on rocky ground and the sound of the outcode sitting down next to you. Not close enough to provoke any action, but close enough for you to know that this would be a necessary conversation that you wouldn’t be able to escape from.

Eyelights not moving from their current position, you kept knitting until the outcode spoke.  
  


“You aren’t going to run away this time?”

You chuckled, “ ~~Nah, I can tell this conversation is inescapable by the looks of things. That and I don’t really feel like moving from my spot.~~ ”

The sky had darkened as the sun disappeared over the far horizon, and the outcode seemed to pause at the view before continuing again.

“So you're not going to leave in the middle of it?”

You sighed, fingers twitching in slight aggravation.

“ ~~As long as you get to the point quick enough then yes, I might not consider throwing you off the side of the mountain. So make it quick Core, I’m not in the mood for one of your random lectures.~~ ”

The grey toned outcode huffed at the threat before stealing themselves, like what they were about to say would cause you to go through with it, even if you couldn’t actually hurt them.

“Nightmare has mentioned your existence to Ink in a recent battle, so I believe now would be a good time to prepare yourself.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Error: I am a cold and hollow being that struggles with feeling emotions and acting like an actual person  
> Ink: I am a soulless being that struggles with understanding and controlling my emotions and I often end up trying and failing to feel them at a normal and healthy rate.  
> Error:  
> Ink:  
> Error: Why can't I find anyone who could understand me.  
> Ink: Why can't I find anyone who could understand me more.
> 
> Alrighty, chapter 2 is done! 2 more characters have joined the playing field, time to make them all suffer for plot and a good story! 
> 
> In all honestly, I stayed up till 4 in the morning writing this so for any grammar mistakes I did not catch, I apologize!
> 
> This Chapter: Confusing delusions and emotions
> 
> Next Chapter: A clashing of views and perspectives


	3. Monotone

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Monotone:  
> *without vividness or variety; dull.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank goodness I was able to finish this, I honestly thought I wouldn't be able to do it! So I apologize for any typos and Grammarly can only do so much and this was sort of rushed!
> 
> Also!
> 
> Just a little piece of the story I thought it would be nice to share with you guys here ;).
> 
> So since Ink and Error have and are going to live such long lives, years is like counting days to them. So they measure their age (and the age of the multiverse) by the geologic time scale (epochs, periods, eras, and eons). So instead of saying "I'm around 3 million years old" it's "I'm about an epoch old".
> 
> Another interesting fact is that in the geologic time scale most era's ends are marked by the mass extinction of multiple species and their family tree to make room for new evolutionary trees.
> 
> So who says eras in the multiverse can't end in the same way?
> 
> Enjoy the chapter! :3

Core left soon after their warning was delivered, seemingly not wanting to stick around for the aftermath.

That, and the fact that flashes of gold and black appeared from a field not too far away from the mountain.

Which was good, because you didn’t quite feel like talking at the moment and that little delusion would keep that freak occupied for a good while.

It gave you a decent amount of time to zone out for a bit.

You and Creation were meant to be a never-ending cycle, practically made to oppose each other for all of time.

So why had you even bothered to delay such a fate?

Was it the curiosity to see how long you could hold off? The desire to avoid such an aspect of your job out of spite for the unknown force who damned you to this existence? Had you simply dreaded having to look at someone who was made to be your exact opposite?

Were you...  _ scared _ of Creation?

No… that's not what you were feeling right now. At least you don’t think so.

Fear is an emotion you're not really familiar with, as it’s not something you have felt enough to become used to its presents and to recognize when you are feeling it.

The fear that you felt with yelling was different, more instinctual, like it had always been there, embedded into your being. The response was automatic, easy to process, and recognize.

The normal kind of fear, the kind you had seen assets experience when being cornered in an alleyway or berated by others was different. It tied into the normal flight or fight response sure but it also was less built-in and more…

Prompted.

It was a response to stimuli that had to be made and controlled by the soul to feel properly, unlike the instinctual fight or flight response that was just there. That instinct was impossible to control or make, simply existing as an early evolutionary trait as a way for the soul to protect itself. A trait that persisted in the evolutionary tree as the soul adapted more and more to become the complex essence it was now.

You remember those days somewhat clearly, how muted and empty everything was. How long it took for your soul just to evolve just enough for you to even function and react to stimuli. Even then, as the first echoes of sorrow and pleasure came to be everything had still been so lifeless.

You were glad Creation had chosen not to make any universes that backtracked the soul down to its early stages of development.

You wouldn’t wish that fate onto anyone.

Yet, even though the multiverse had moved past that stage, you and your opposite had managed to bring the suffering with the both of you in your own idiotic desperation.

In your attempt of destroying your core, you had damaged it beyond repair.

A healthy and functioning soul would be able to produce and manage emotions properly, creating an equal balance that allowed all feelings to mix and thrive in a perfect harmony.

So in attempting to rip your soul into shreds you had ultimately destroyed that process of harmony and healthy feeling.

Your core had been disrupted too early in its evolutionary stage, permanently stunting all growth and effective ways of processing emotion.

You couldn’t feel any emotion properly, everything was still muted and dull. Not nearly as bad when it had first developed but not desirable by a long shot.   
  


Any emotion that you wanted to feel more reliability had to be practiced. This was necessary in order to memorize what they were and what prompted them to help with your ability to react to and process them more accurately. Peace, calm, silence, tranquility, amusement, excitement, interest, satisfaction, and awe were all emotions you had practiced endlessly. 

As they were the emotions you had come to realize you enjoyed the most.

Emotional connections with anyone or anything were simply off the table. Back when DreamTale was first created you had thought that you were somewhat attached to Nightmare and Dream.

You weren’t.

You had simply just been new to the slight enhancement in emotions they provided you and had confused interest and satisfaction for fondness and devotion. And most of your guilt for worrying about losing what you had gained from their creation.

You had thought years of trips to that little delison’s stone prison would be enough to prompt some regret but there was barely anything. Just mostly worry over what might come of your emotional state.

And no matter how many times you pretend to care, trying to manipulate yourself into thinking that you could feel a somewhat normal amount of guilt.

There had always been never anything more than the distance echoes of an undeveloped emotion, a trait that never got the chance to even manifest into something contributory.

A broken limb that never got set back right, forever healed out of place and unable to be used.

But even more annoying...

Your way of producing the proper emotion when reacting to stimuli was sometimes off. Things that were supposed to make you feel sad instead made you feel overjoyed and satisfied. Any emotion that was supposed to prompt a high level of intensity only created a small tingle or straight-up confusion in said feeling in general.

Which was the problem you seemed to be facing right now.

When Core had informed you of what Nightmare had done a sudden wave of emotion washed over you. It was too quick to process and left you in an almost dormant state.

The only thing you could react with happened to be a common way of handling things you did not understand.

Ah…

…

That was all you could think and feel, an indescribable emotion that was too close to the early numbness for comfort.

Though it gave you some clarity to think on the fairly unfamiliar emotion and figure out what you had just missed out on.

It had been a quick flash, like fear but also somewhat different. Fear was more of a coldness, what had just come over you was hot and managed to bring a spark to your spine.

So it had to be more of an intense emotion then, not like the more dulled aggravation or annoyance you had become practiced in.

So what was stronger than those two but relatively similar in the way it made your teeth grind and eyelights sharpen?

…

…

…

Anger?

You had seen assets respond to this emotion all the time when doing your job, you just never understood it very well.

Didn’t they realize they were outmatched?

Even so, every time without fail the emotion would be present on your faces. How they would attack with vigor and pitiful strength.

An intense way to respond to something happening that was not agreeable in your ways or values.

…

So that means that you were  _ angry _ with the darker guardian.

But why?

You didn’t have any emotional connections with him, so why would such a strong emotion be prompted by his actions?

What would Creation knowing of your existence really change?

…

…

And then it hit you.

You flinched as the anger washed over you again but this time it stayed, weakly pulsing and struggling to be heard against the fog on your soul.

Fist clenching slightly, you’re glad that you had set your knitting aside while figuring out how to process your consistent problem.

Your job, the only purpose you had been given in this damned multiverse, was now something you would have to fight to do successfully.

Every time you would go to destroy, there was no doubt that you would be interrupted by Creation and drawn into a battle that would most likely last hours and achieves nothing.

Because if Creation was your opposite, that also meant that he was equal in strength and will power, so the two of you could fight without ever being able to kill each other.

A never-ending cycle.

Having Nightmare following you around all the time was enough, you didn’t need someone you can’t get rid of doing the  _ exact same thing. _

_ And _ trying to stop you in the process.

Ugh, this was going to be more of a mess than you thought it would be.

You were doing just fine on your own! You’d been handling the balance just fine without having to get pulled into the same situation those two guardians had got themselves stuck in.

Not like Nightmare cared.   
  


He didn’t seem to care about the balance at all actually.

That was going to be a problem.

He was already a huge problem.

The muted sparks in your chest and spine traveled up to your throat and a sound rumbled from your clenched teeth. Mixed with the normal static and glitches that accompanied your voice, the noise surprised you. As it sounded more off-putting than your usual chuckles or barks of laugher.

…

Did you just growl?

It’s not like you haven’t heard the sound before, plenty of monsters had growled at you while doing your job. Even though it was supposed to be threatening, the display had no effect on you.

You just never expected the sound to leave  _ your _ mouth.

Yet the more you thought about how that stupid guardian decided he could try and make a mockery out of your duties. Turning them into some sort of show that only he would benefit from.

Decided he could try and make you useful to him like some  _ tool. _

You could feel the heat building, the tingles of fire starting to brush your soul.

In perspective to a healthy soul, the drop of emotion was nothing to the sea of possibilities a fully developed core harnessed.

But for you, it was the most you had felt in while without the loss of your sanity when destroying.

Killing people had always been satisfying, you don’t exactly know why but you didn’t complain. If killing and destruction were a way to produce more enhanced feelings then why stop? 

The fact that it relieved the pain and most of the static buzz from your soul was just an added bonus.

Though something else came with that feeling of satisfaction, a sort of different buzz that made you feel more distant and far away from yourself. But that distance also made you feel farther away from the dullness of your soul, letting the satisfaction turn into amusement and that amusement into excitement.

Your destruction sprees sometimes even felt more like hallucinations than reality.

It was a nice way to get away, to escape, even if in turn it made you feel like even less of a person. It’s why you made a habit of visiting an AU afterward, just to sit in the silence and wind down.

So this intensity of emotion, and of feeling upon another person’s actions.

_ It was glorious. _

A smile graced your face and soon after it came the laughter, crazed yet still full of emotion.

You stood up, still laughing to yourself, and stared down at the still present flashes of gold and black.

If that black guardian’s problematic behavior made you feel like this, then may paying him a little  _ visit _ wouldn’t be so bad. 

* * *

Dream was losing, pretty badly actually.

Which was surprising to say the least, as this was a pretty peaceful copy if you remembered correctly.

Your short term memory loss always tended to mess things up at the worst possible times.

Stupid damaged soul.

The little delusion had created a golden shield-like dome around himself with his staff, struggling to stand and hold the barrier up as Nightmare pounded on it with his tentacles.

Each connection of their magic creating a flash of their separate colors that you had been able to see from your mountain perch.

Now down in the trees surrounding the field, the flashes looked almost beautiful in a strange way.

You wondered if the clashing of your cycle would create the same effect, not like you would have to wait long to find out.

That freak may have called you foolish but that doesn’t mean you actually are.

It was easy to see what he was doing.

This idiot was trying to lead Creation to you, and pounding on Dream for long enough was one way to get that paint skeleton to show up.

You could just leave, go to the Anti-Void and take in the silence and calm.

Or… you could take this opportunity to practice your new emotion and mess with Nightmare.

The latter seemed to be the more appealing option. 

The darker guardian looked so smug at how things seemed to be going for him, and the chance of wiping that smile off his face made your smile grow wider as you walked out onto the open field.

You didn’t see any rush, even if Dream was struggling your little intervention would most likely benefit him in the end.

You had just passed the halfway point when Nightmare seemed to notice you, pausing, but only for a moment. His eyelight sharpened and his smile grew even larger than before.

**“There you are.”**

The guardian retracted his tentacles from their assault and he turned to face your approaching form, disregarding Dream as if he wasn’t even a threat.

The golden guardian let down his barrier in response, leaning on his staff and panting heavily. His tired but determined eyelights locked with yours and he gave you a desperate look.

“Mister, don’t come over here! This isn’t your fight and I need you to warn others in the area! Please escape this place!”

Yours and Nightmare's smiles both turned slightly sympathetic at Dream's request.

Oh that poor little guardian

“ **Oh brother please, if there's anyone the God of Destruction came to help it is certainly not you.”**

Said brother looked twin in mild annoyance before stilling, his eye sockets narrowed before widening, eyelights shrinking to pinpricks and he turned back to you.

You just offered a smile.

Coming to a stop before Nightmare your eye sockets narrowed, “ ~~You're going to give the little delusion a panic attack, lay it off. I’m not here to sit and listen to you play with your brother.~~ ”

Dream seemed to be taking the opportunity to heal himself, golden magic climbing up the cracks on his tibia and radius. His eyelights watched you with both wariness and slight respect.

You're finding that you didn’t mind Nightmare’s opposite to much.

For now, that is.

Nightmare straightened up his form before moving off to the side, the darker guardian starting to circle you. You locked eyelights with him before doing the same and both your smiles widened.

**“Oh I know why you're here. Can’t blame me for trying to have a little fun though can you?”**

“ ~~No I suppose I can’t, you seem to have made the decision that inferring with my cycle classified as “a little fun” without my say.~~ ”

**“Awwww come on Error, I was just trying to help! You looked like you needed a push in the right direction. And why should I need your say? I am a guardian. I can do whatever I want.”**

The circle you had both made into a path grew larger, giving each other space for the battle that seemed to be arising. 

Dream looked on in further concern and worry.

“ ~~And I am a god. Whether you like it or not I have authority over you. You will stand down and stay out of my cycle! And while you're at it maybe you can work on that attitude of yours, it’s aggravating.~~ ”

You could feel it, the anger rising through your voice,  _ your bones. _ Your brows came down over your eye sockets as you stared Nightmare down.

You never wanted this to end.

Nightmare’s form flinched back at the rise in your voice, looking shocked at your tone and words before growling in return.

**“How dare you speak to me like that! Just because you're a god doesn’t mean you have the right of authority over me and my actions! You're foolish to assume that I would ever listen to you!”**

“ ~~You’re even more of an idiot than I thought you were. You can not turn everyone around you into some sort of puppet show for your amusement Nightmare. You're going to end up biting off more than you can chew.~~ ”

The offended guardian screeched in further outrage, and you both stopped circling each other.

Nightmare sent a sharpened tentacle towards you and you jumped back just before it stabbed the dirt in front of you.

Yeesh.

**“HOW DARE YOU UNDERESTIMATE ME!!”** Nightmare roared, the goop that made up his form spiking and eyelight flashing brightly in outrage.

Looking past him, you could see that delusion still pressing a glowing hand to his leg trying to focus on healing himself but also listening in on your “conversation”.

He seemed puzzled about what to do, as if attacking his brother would initially be helping you and that the other way around would have the same result.

You hoped the guardian was smart enough to know to stay out of this, as he had stated earlier.

This wasn’t his fight.

For the second that you had looked away, Nightmare had begun to sprout more tentacles, all eight of them sharp and twitching to rip something apart.

Too bad that something wasn’t going to be you.

Pulling string from your eye sockets, you stared long and hard at the guardians heavily breathing form.

“ ~~I can not be underestimating you if I am stating the truth, Nightmare.~~ ” 

Nightmare’s form spiked again, and he stepped forward, all tentacles pointed at you. His mouth opened again to screech at you before a whistle echoed throughout the clearing and all heads turned to its source.

“Oh man! If I knew coming here would get me a front-row seat to watching Nightmare get sassed I would’ve come sooner!”

You took in the brown scarfed skeleton with condescending eyelights, white shirt covered in a brown V-shaped crop top, and a grey stash belt crossing over the spot where his soul should be.

Loose brown pants slightly swayed in the light breeze and his partially bare feet crushing the blades of grass underneath him. The skeleton held onto his oversized paintbrush somewhat tightly in one hand.

Separately colored eyelights meet yours and you both paused, taking each other in for the first time.

You had both lived an epoch of your life circled around each other, yet never truly seeing each other.

It was a moment where both of your minds seemed to clear.

**“Well look who decided to finally show up.”**

Three pairs of eyelights swiveled to the darker guardian but none could get a word out before he continued.

**“And would you look at this, both cycles all in one place… I always wondered what would be the outcome of such a clashing of views and perspectives.”**

“ ~~Shut up, stupid octopus. No one asked for your opinion.~~ ”

A pause.

Dream’s snort and Creation’s booming laughter were the first to break it.

And Nightmares screech followed soon after, **“WHAT DID YOU JUST CALL ME?! YOU DISGUSTING CREATURE!!”**

The freak’s tentacles drew back to launch at you when a cyan arrow burrowed itself in Nightmare’s shoulder.

Looks like dream boy’s all healed up.

You and Creation both watched as the black mass shrieked before sending itself into its twin. Both guardians connected in flashes of their own respective magic once more.

Huffing a breath, you let your strings fade, slightly thankful that the little delusion would be keeping his brother occupied.

A quiet cough interrupted your thinking, and you turned to the one responsible.

Creation moved closer, stopping at about a couple feet away, his one yellow blob-like eyelight and other turquoise dot-shaped one stared into yours. A solemn look overtook his features, like he somehow wanted to fix what the both of you had turned out to be.

You grimaced at that, if this idiot thought he could make friends with you then he was in for a surprise.

It’s not like you could even attempt to make an emotional connection with him anyway, that wasn’t an option for you. 

So why…

“Hey there... Destruction.”

Why did he have to…

“ ~~Greetings… Creation.~~ ”

Why did he have to look at you like that?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dream: *watching Error and Nightmare go at each other's throats*  
> Dream: Uhhhhh should I do something?  
> Dream: *watches as Nightmare continues to sass the God of Destruction*  
> Dream: Oh stars I definitely need to do something!  
> Ink: Oh man, I should have totally come here sooner!   
> Dream:  
> Dream: YOU THINK SO?!
> 
> Poor guy, I mean if I was Dream there I also would have no clue what to do. Telling Nightmare to shut the fuck up because he was going to get himself killed was not a good idea and attacking any of the two "evil forces" is also a terrible idea because if they team up Dream be screwed.
> 
> Also, y'all remember what I said in the preview for this chapter!  
> "Next Chapter: A clashing of views and perspectives" "...outcome of such a clashing of views and perspectives.”  
> Well said Nightmare! Roll Credits!
> 
> Don't have anything else to say really, thanks for the Bookmarks and Kudos! Seeya next chapter!
> 
> This Chapter: Confusing emotions and enemies 
> 
> Next Chapter: Misunderstandings of purposes and reasonings


	4. Oppugnant

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Oppugnant:  
> *opposing; antagonistic.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welp folks, here we go.
> 
> Warning; blood, violence, and loss of limb.

“ ~~Quit looking at me like that~~.”

Creation’s stare turned from one of solum to one of confusion as he blinked, left eyelight turning into an orange question mark.

“Uh… looking at you like what?”

You scowled even more at his response. Did this idiot seriously think you were going to fall for the “I don’t know” excuse?

“ ~~Looking at me with that stupid solum expression on your face, that’s what. Cut that shit out, it’s aggravating.~~ ”

You had thought that your bluntness would provoke the shorter skeleton, anger from other people was easier to deal with and made them fun to play around with. 

What you did not expect, was for Creation to chuckle.

You blinked as he brought his fist to cover his mouth and laughed, eye sockets shut, smile wide and tilted in amusement.

“Oh wow! Haha, being around that _“octopus”_ has really done a number on you huh? I don’t blame you! Anyone would be in a foul mood after having to deal with him!”

You didn’t respond, still staring down at the Creator in perplexion.

That… wasn’t supposed to happen.

No one had ever reacted to anything you said in a positive way.

No one ever reacts to your presents in a positive way period.

Creation seemed to notice your momentary confusion and he chuckled again, “Heh, what’s the matter pal? Want to stop looking at me like that? It’s kind of annoying.”

…

_“ ~~Why you little-~~ ” _

“Hey, come on pal! No need to get angry, I was just messing with you!”

Your teeth ground together as your eyelights sharpened, staring slightly down into Creation’s eyelights. Fingers laced with string still attached to your eye sockets, your aggravation increasing its strength as you phalanges twitched, just itching to wipe that stupid grin off his face.

How dare he have the audacity to mock you.

Not only that, but also _interrupt you_ in the middle of a sentence.

You really wanted to murder someone.

“ ~~It’s too late for that, I’m already annoyed-~~ ”

“Woah! Are those strings? Coming from your eye sockets! That’s so weird, but cool at the same time! How does it-”

“ ~~SHUT UP!~~ ”

You heard the click of Creation’s jaw snapping shut as his eyelights - one had turned into a blue exclamation mark - moved away from your strings and shot up to meet yours. The paint skeleton had put a hand up in front of him and taken a step back, clearly surprised by your outburst.

To be honest, you were surprised as well.

When's the last time you raised your voice like that?

Have you ever raised your voice like that before?

Whatever, it didn’t matter now.

You had more important things to take care of.

Taking a step forward to remain at an equal distance from Creation you spoke, scowl turning ever so slowly into a smile.

“ ~~Listen here Creation, and listen well. I’m not going to sit here and have a friendly conversation with you because we both know how this is going to go. So I suggest you shut your mouth before I stitch it together myself.~~ ”

You paused, and Creation put a finger up to try and insert his opinion on the matter before a sudden thought came to mind.

“ ~~And as an added plus, I might just decide to add this disgusting copy to my ever-growing list of destruction.~~ ”

Creation froze, and your smile widened.

“...what do you mean… “ever-growing list”?” 

…

Silence.

There was nothing besides the sounds of the two guardians clashing to the far right of you.

The sun had long past set, and the bright flashes of gold and turquoise illuminated the field and trees surrounding it, lighting up the section of the night sky around you. Casting a luminous glare on both of your faces, seemingly setting the scene for what was about to take place.

You let your smile turn somewhat pitiful, drinking up the way Creation’s expression quickly turned sour.

“ ~~Oh, you know exactly what I mean.~~ ”

The shorter skeleton scowled, expression immediately changing to a poorly restrained anger. 

It looked like he was trying to control his rapid emotional change.

Like his emotions had no way to balance themselves out.

And it was only then that you realized that Creation’s stash belt was empty of vials.

…

Huh, weird.

_“How many universes have you destroyed, Error?”_

His voice was so strained it was hard to even recognize what the angered skeleton had said.

Though you understood it perfectly and answered his question happily as the two contrasting colors cracked like lightning in the background.

“ ~~Too many for me to count. And that’s saying a lot, considering I have a very precise long-term memory.~~ ”

You could see it, the battle of emotion on Creation's face.

First, there was shock.

Next the realization, quickly followed by an overwhelming sorrow.

Then a flash of indifference.

Followed by resolve.

And lastly…

An animalistic rage.

You didn’t get to see much of though because too suddenly something connected with your ribcage and you went sailing backward.

Twisting in the air, you dug the balls of your feet and hands into the ground, leaving two long claw marks in the dirt as you slid to a stop.

Taking half a second to process what had happened, you looked down at your chest, expecting worse than what you saw.

Light green paint dripped off your clothes, the liquid completely rolling off of the fabric instead of being soaked up into it. The paint seemed bioluminescent, and it created a gentle glow over your form. 

Such a stark contrast for the battle that was about to unfold.

_"YOU WHAT!?!”_

Creation’s scream echoed across the clearing, and its shrillness seemed to bounce off the surrounding environment. The grass swayed more violently, and the sound of chirping crickets silenced.

You flinched involuntarily, body jerking away as it tried to curl onto itself like a cornered animal. Your shoulders hunched but that was as far as you allowed your body to go, this wasn’t the time for that.

The shorter skeleton's stance was wide and enraged, knees bent and ready, ribcage heaving from anger and adrenaline. His stare bored into your own, one eyelight a crimson dot and the other a crosshair of that same color. 

Creation's mouth was still contorted into a glower as he panted, both hands now gripping tightly onto his paintbrush, the bristles now coated in the same bioluminescent green that dripped off of your clothes.

His mouth opened once more, though his voice was more controlled.

_“How could you? What’s wrong with you?!”_

...what’s wrong with you?

WHAT’S WRONG WITH _YOU?_

“ ~~What’s wrong with me? HA! Don’t make me laugh! We both know that you're as broken and unstable as I am! Don’t pretend to be some perfect asset when you're not!~~ ”

You once again pull strings from your eye sockets, as you had dismissed them while re-righting yourself.

The branches on the surrounding trees rocked harder.

“I’m not! I’m asking what gives _you_ the right to destroy my creations!”

“ ~~_“Right”?_ ~~ ~~It’s my job! It’s what I am made for! If that isn’t enough of a right then I simply have no other answer for you!~~ ”

The gentle breeze turned to a strong wind and both of your scarfs rustled in the gust of rugged air.

“You soulless creature! Millenniums of filling everything with life and colors all for you to just tear it apart, all because you _can!?_ All because it’s your so-called _job!?_

Clouds rolled in, covering the night sky and taking the stars and moon with it.

“ ~~_You hypocrite!_ ~~ ~~You're the only soulless one here! Mine may be damaged but I can at least control myself! What kind of protector attacks unprovoked?~~ ”

“ _“UNPROVOKED”!?_ What kind of destroyer flinches like some kind of _beaten dog_ when being yelled at?!”

…

  
  


The flashes of gold and turquoise stopped.

…

Everything had stopped.

…

All you could hear was white noise.

…

**_And then the heat hit._ **

Burning, coiling fire that filled your soul, slamming into your consciousness and moving through your thoughts with no care of what was rational or what was illogical.

There was so much of it, too much of it. You needed to release it, you needed to get this out of you. This was the most emotion you had ever felt in your lifetime, and it felt like you were burning alive.

You wanted to scream.

And just as Creation seemed to realize what he had said.

_“ ~~WHAT KIND OF DESTROYER AM I?~~ _ ~~IT WAS _YOU_ WHO MESSED UP MAKING DREAMTALE! IT WAS _YOU_ ~~ ~~WHO MESSED UP THE CODING AND WERE TO STUPID TO REALIZE IT!~~ ”

“No, _shut up!”_

“ ~~IT WAS _YOU_ WHO DID NOTHING AND LET THIS MESS HAPPEN. _IT’S YOUR FAULT WERE LIKE THIS!_~~ _"_

_“No! No it’s not!”_

“ ~~THEN WHOSE IS IT INK?!~~ _~~WHO?~~ ” _

“IT’S NOT _MINE!”_

~~_“_ WHO LET THE ONLY TWO THINGS THAT LET ME FEEL SOMEWHAT PROPERLY FALL INTO RUIN?! _WHO WAS IT?”_ ~~

“IT _WASN’T_ ME!”

“ ~~THEN~~ ~~_WHO_ ~~ ~~WAS IT INK?!~~ ”

“IT’S-”

“ ~~SAY IT!~~ ”

_“I-”_

_“ ~~SAY IT!~~ " _

_“I TOLD YOU TO SHUT UP!”_

Lightning slammed into the ground between the both of you but none of you noticed.

Your only focus was on the enemy in front of you.

And by the time the bolt of lightning had vanished you both slammed into each other with a force that made the ground shake, feet planted in the scorch mark it had left behind

Your strings wrapped around brush instead of bone, blocking your attack but in turn also blocking Creation’s. The bristles of the brush coated in the same deep blue of your strings, only this paint had turned each hair into a sharp serrated blade. If that had made contact with you had no doubt in your mind that it would’ve cut through you with little effort.

You lifted your other hand towards the dark sky, strings seeming to grapple onto nothing as they pulled up towards the clouds.

Creation growled and leaped after you, both of you rising off the ground as water started to fall in the opposite direction.

The brush was raised, and it’s serrated bristles flashed as another strike of lightning rushed to the ground behind you, the electric charges brushing against your spine.

Then a new source of light appeared, and you got the wonderful sight of Creation's eye sockets widening before five beams of white consumed him.

Your blaster’s and strings disintegrated and your feet touched the ground soon after Creations slightly burnt form crashed into it. His body had bounced off of the ground on impact and your smile twitched at the sound of cracking bone.

Creation’s form melted into ink just before red bones pulled by string stabbed the ground where he once was.

The blob of ink he had became rose swiftly before jetting in every direction, trying to get a clear shot from behind but finding that you were simply too quick for that to work.

Seeming to have given up, Creation reformed himself mid lunge and you jumped right to avoid the arc of the now black-tipped brush.

Letting out a hiss in frustration, he lunged again and you dodged it all the same.

And right in front of the wide-open mouth of an inky black blaster.

There was no time to react as a jet of ink slammed into you, the force cracking your sternum and knocking the breath out of your ribcage.

Strings shot left as you pulled yourself out of the stream, and a wave of crimson bone rushed toward Creation, who leaped over them with graceful ease.

There was the swing of a brush, as this time the color purple flew towards you. Taking careful steps you dodged the wave of color, this time making sure that your path of temporary escape was clear. 

The moment your feet touched the ground lightning struck again, this time there was a growing glow of oranges and reds that followed.

The crackling of fire sounded behind you but Creation’s eyelights didn’t look away from yours and as you both crashed into each other again. The ground once more shaking from the impact.

Bones of black ink and that of red collided with each other, some deflecting while others splintering and dissolving from the force.

You felt your femur crack and soon after hearing the sound of Creation’s humerus fracturing, both bones suffering from battle but their shoots of pain never heard by their owners.

You both were still too focused on taking the other down to think about physical pain.

The rain fell harder, water dripping off of the both of you in alluring patterns as you twisted around each other. The arc of your strings and Creation’s brush making patterns of the clear liquid in mid-air.

You could feel the blood and magic that leaked from the cracks made into your bone, the rainwater mixing with the flow, confusing you on the actual amount of essence that you were losing.

The flashes of color that sounded from your collisions varied upon what magic the two of you were using. 

Though what had remained persistent was your deep blues and reds that bounced of Creations starking white.

Any form of orderly fighting had been long gone before you even started throwing attacks. There was no taking turns or exchanging blows, and there were no pauses or moments to breathe.

You both just persisted in throwing attack after attack, oftentimes they crashed together in the frenzy, creating a stalemate of dishing out blows but none actually making contact. 

The battle raged further, and you could no longer see out of your left eye socket, as an inky bone had lodged itself in your skull.

Creation’s right leg did not seem to want to support him, a new crack going across his fibula and tibia starting to buckle under the pressure of his weight.

You had trouble telling what was black paint or Creation’s blood, and more often than not ended up dodging a spray of black blood instead of paint, giving him the opening needed to land more hits on you.

The darkness of the night had been long chased away by the ever-growing fire. It spread across the clearing, pushing the two apprehensive guardians closer to a battle that they wanted no part of yet one that they couldn’t look away from. 

Not noticing the two person audience you fought on, hours passing by, lost in your own rage and anger as glitchy snarls left your clenched teeth at your opponent's persistence.

The two of you kept beating on each other, trying to slam your way through the layers of power and find an opening in the seams.

And then an opportunity arose. 

Creation took a swing at you with his brush and you shot your strings downward, catching his right leg that was now barely hanging on.

His eyelight’s shrunk as he seemed to realize what was about to happen, and the arc of his brush shifted at the last second.

Your other hand thrust forward, the buzz of magic sparking at your fingers, making an attempt to counter Creations change in stance at the last second as well. 

And a multitude of things happened all within your moments of realization and panicked contour blows.

Your hand that had a grip on Creation’s leg pulled, and there was a deafening snap as the limb was torn from its body.

Your victory was short-lived, as his brush had compensated for the change in position. It’s bristles coated in the same deep blue you had warned yourself to avoid sliced through the same arm that had just taken Creation’s leg.

Form glitching in pain, your other arm that was still attached made contact with Creations ribcage, red bones exploding through the other's chest and erupting from his back.

The symphony of cracking bone was the only sound that could fully pierce the storm of environmental forces around you.

Creation hit the ground first, falling backward and landing on his side with a small crunch. He groaned in pain, attempting to put his arms under him to try and stand, only to fall to the ground once more.

You swayed slightly, struggling to stay upright as your remaining eyelight locked in on Creations mangled form.

You let out a breathy chuckle, you raised your only remaining hand to the bone lodged in your skull.

That is, until the pain hit you.

The dizziness of the head injury and loss of limb slammed into you mid-step, your body went limp and you fell forward onto the wet ground just a few feet away from Creation’s form, as he had been knocked backward quite a bit from your last blow.

Head bouncing off the dirt you groaned, struggling to get your feet under you as the crack in your left femur widened with every movement.

Your single eyelight drifted up and passed your opponent's body to where the two guardians had been fighting only to see that they had disappeared.

You weren’t surprised, with a fight as long as this Nightmare would have gotten bored and moved on. Most likely prompting Dream to follow him, the lighter guardian trusting in his friend's ability to hold his end.

Which apparently seemed to be partially true.

There was the feeling of something climbing up your throat and you coughed, red blood and blue magic pouring out of your hacking mouth.

Ugh that did not feel good.

Taking a deep breath, you gripped the bone in your skull and pulled, the offending object came ripping out of you with an indescribable sound that had your head reeling.

You gagged once again, the sound coming close to Creation's own hacking coughs.

“I… hate yo… you. So-”

He coughed again, but you got the message.

“ ~~Ugh. The feelings… m-mutual.~~ ”

Stars you sounded weak.

With your battle seeming to have come to an end the rain slowed and the lightning ceased. The fire had slowly begun to die under the fall of rain and the gusts of wind calming to a somewhat gentle breeze once more.

You both tried to stand again, only to fall at the sound of your own pained yelps and moans.

“ ~~F-fuck.~~ ”

“Hah… language.”

“ ~~Fuck… off.~~ ”

The both of you made eye contact, panting in pain and magical exhaustion, and the feelings of rage lost in your clashing, a silent agreement pulsed between your stares.

Creation was the first to speak on it.

“I won’t stop… creating.”

“ ~~And I... w-won’t stop destroying.~~ ”

Your stares hardened in resolve, taking in what those two statements would mean for the both of you.

Panting heavily Creation reached for his brush and you focused what magic you had left on the ground below you.

Painting an inky portal on the ground in front of him, Creation looked at you once more.

“This isn’t o-over.”

The dirt below you began to glitch with white.

“ ~~Be seeing you soon... Creation.~~ ”

You both fell into your respective portals, leaving a destroyed and smoking field full of blood and deteriorated magic in your wakes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dream and Nightmare: *fighting*  
> Error and Ink: *start throwing insults that get way to personal and then proceed to fight each other so hard that the ground shakes*  
> Dream and Nightmare:  
> Dream and Nightmare:  
> Nightmare: Welp I got what I wanted, bye  
> Dream:  
> Dream: UM I got to go make sure Nightmare doesn't kill anybody! Good luck Ink!
> 
> Welp that went well, great job guys! Way to talk it out!  
> Honestly through this well probably be one of the only battles that they have that will end in only 4 hours. They don't know each other's strategies, therefore injuries are being obtained much quicker than normal because of inexperienced blocking and dodging. So yeah Ink and Error y'all better get ready cuz it's about to get much worse for you guys. 
> 
> On another note the whole storm thing wasn't there to add dramatics in a cliche way, it was directly caused by their conflict.  
> Wind is a form of creation (spreading pollen) and destruction (hurricanes, tornados). As well as rain (Watering plants / Flash floods, Tsunamis), lighting (Produces ozone / Kills almost anything it touches), and fire (Gives room for new plant life / Destroys forest).
> 
> So basically every time they clash, there be a storm. Remember, these and the only two gods in existence fighting out of rage. Just imagine if this had been in a city, or even the underground. RIP.
> 
> This Chapter: A violent discord of sound and color
> 
> Next Chapter: Undeserving empathy


	5. Magnanimity

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Magnanimity:  
> * the fact or condition of being magnanimous; generosity.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Turns out, writing Dream is a lot easier than I thought it would be.
> 
> *Side note; this is the longs chapter so far, topping out at 18 pages so I hope you enjoy it!*

_Sans_ _didn’t know what to think when he first saw the flashes of color in the forest below Mt. Ebbot._

_T_ _he colors of gold and turquoise reached above the trees, lighting up the darkening sky and never ceasing in brightness._

_There was no specific pattern or time at which they seemed to appear as they seemed to flash randomly. Even so, the two contrasting colors were always together in their light show._

_It was odd, beyond odd. What would even be a reasonable explanation for a phenomenon like this?_

_When the Royal Guard was called to meet the human police force at the beginning of the forest everyone was tense. The buzz in the air made it obvious as to what they would be dealing with._

_Magic._

_Very, very strong magic._

_Alphys was already gripping her Axe tightly as she explained what the plan was to the other troops that hadn’t got the same run-down he had. Despite the serious facade, Sans could see that she was excited._

_In all honesty, Sans was excited too._

_This was his first call-in! Finally, he would be able to actually be a Royal Guard!_

_Sans could tell his brother wasn’t happy about it, having demanded Alphys to let him tag along just in case they “needed an extra hand”._

_But that was fine, Sans didn’t mind._

_The only reason he didn’t say anything about it was because his lazy brother was finally up and doing something remotely active._

_He could hear the clanking of hard plastic as Undyne fidgeted with her supplies, her eyes locked on to the flashes of color through the trees._

_Sans put his arm around her to provide some reassurance, reaching over her backpack and rubbing her opposite shoulder._

_She smiled back appreciatively, taking a deep breath and clutching her camera and its stand tightly._

_The King and Queen had suggested that Undyne was brought along to help get a better scientific understanding of the magic if need be. As they had no idea what they were dealing with, and any reasonable explanation would be appreciated on-site._

_Alphys of course didn’t like the idea of her girlfriend being in the middle of whatever was going on but she couldn’t exactly argue with the two monarchs' words and said girlfriend repeating that it would be alright._

_And even now, as they walked through the forest, he could still see that determination in her eyes as she shoke._

_I_ _t was nice to see that his friend was improving._

_Sans jogged a couple of paces to the front to catch up with Alphys, passing Toriel and Asgore to be next to his partner in crime._

_She flashed him a toothy smile and raised her axe, Sans forming a long bone and taping his weapon with hers._

_The clang of metal and bone signaling their excitement and readiness for what they would behold behind the last stretch of forestry._

_The King and Queen chuckled fondly despite the mood and Papyrus let out a tired sigh from the back._

_Whatever that was going on couldn’t be bad enough that they wouldn’t be able to handle it, right?_

  
  
  


* * *

  
  
  


Pain was an odd feeling.

It wasn’t a relatively new feeling, just weird in its appearance.

When you had just figured out your purpose and started your job pain was common, as you were new and young. Fighting and killing was a skill gained more by experience than modification. And even though you had been formed modified to destroy, killing out of instinct rather than thought did not help you in your dodging or blocking skills.

Now, after an epoch of doing the same thing over and over again, you had forgotten the feeling of something being wrong physically.

An object lodged not where it’s supposed to be.

A break in a structure that was not meant to be broken.

A leak made through the cracks where liquid escaped that was supposed to be inside you.

It was the liquid that bothered you most of all.

When was the last time you had seen or felt something come out of you in such a way? 

Felt the feeling of it running down your bones and onto the white floor, staining a mark into the ground in red and blue.

It itched, and the more you attempted the scratch the more that came out.

So you stopped scratching and let yourself zone out to the thoughts that run ramped in your head.

Sitting cross-legged on the floor of the Anti-Void your body sagged slightly, and your eye socket shut. Your form almost going completely dormant as you retreated to the insides of your skull.

The loss of your left eye socket was not as devastating as it should have been, just a mild inconvenience really.

It would heal over time, just like how all of your other injuries would, just like all of the others before it.

Still, the pain that each error in your body produced was peculiar, to say the least. They produced a different type of pain that contrasted one another in mellowed down waves of different spikes and tunes.

While your skull pounded with each soul beat, the crack on your femur stung with a stabbing sort that invoked a hiss from your leaking mouth with every movement.

Your missing arm was the most confusing of all, as not being able to feel a limb that had always been present was disorienting and overall muddling. 

The static that made up your form had covered up the pain that used to radiate from the stump made out of your humerus. The growing fizz signaling the start of the regeneration process to recover your missing limb.

Even though you were thankful for this ability, you missed the pain that the injury had produced.

Pain was something you could rely on, something that you knew would always be there.

Even if you lost everything, emotions, soul, complex thought.

Pain would always be there.

It was comforting yet, unsettling at the same time. As relying on something that you didn’t understand was not a safe bet.

The way it varied in intensity and type.

The way it faded away over time or became consumed in the static of your form.

It made you question its existence and purpose in a being such as yourself. Wouldn't it be more efficient to have a destroyer who couldn’t be affected by pain?

…

Was pain even a feeling at all?

Sure you felt pain but, it wasn’t an emotion.

How could you feel something that wasn’t even an emotion? Wasn’t that what emotion was? The ability to feel something?

It was thoughts and questions like these that drove your mind in circles for days upon end. Your half dormant state keeps you oblivious to the physical world around you, as the only thing that existed in this state was your thoughts.

It wasn’t quite sleeping, as you were still conscious of your mind and where it wondered.

It was sort of a halfway state between the two, as being halfway dormant sped up the healing process quite a bit.

And as you had discovered in your younger stages, healing took a very long time.

With such a large health pool - if it was even a pool at all or just an endless ocean - most attacks barely did anything and were reflected with ease. But when an attack did connect, one that was powerful enough to break through all your barriers and the wall of static that covered your bones.

It hit hard.

The hits that managed to connect never felt like they had done enough damage to warrant such a loss, but the amount of time it took for healing spoke otherwise. It was aggravating at first but after a while, you began to appreciate the surprised looks on the asset's faces when they realized that you were not as wounded as you seemed.

Healing items were an option but again, with such a large health pool they barely did anything. You would have to stuff down an entire store's worth depending on the amount you had lost.

The idea of doing such a thing was revolting.

The only excuse for using healing items was to stop the leaks in your bones and taper off the stream from your mouth.

Bandages were an option but they tended to fall off pretty quickly and could only soak up so much.

Healing gel just seemed more convenient.

There was a silence in your head for a moment before you breathed and your eye socket opened.

Becoming anywhere near the dormant state was risky and made you vulnerable, as being at the end of a surprise attack did not seem like a fun alternative. So even though you were in your home turf, you couldn’t resist looking around the white void to make sure you were truly alone.

You cringed at the feeling of blood and magic trickling down your rib cage from the cracks on your sternum as you stood once more.

It took a minute to fully realize, but before you could open a portal you noticed that the static from your missing arm had spread down to where the rest of your arm should have been.

Looking down your eye socket widened, scanning your once missing limb in slight surprise.

Sure it still wasn’t all there, you couldn’t move it and the limb was still consumed by static.

Still, you hadn’t expected to be partly dormant for that long.

Huffing a breath through your nose and deciding to go for some Sea Tea to hopefully stop the flow of liquid out of your mouth, you opened a portal to an UnderTale copies’ Waterfall.

Only for the portal to open below you.

There was a moment where you realized what you had just done before you were falling, landing on the dark, blue grass with a small thud, kicking up the petals of nearby echo flowers in the process.

Folding your one responsive arm under your chin and closing an eye socket you sighed.

Stars dammit.

You really need to start remembering to actually focus on where the portals actually opening and not just the destination.

Ugh, this is why you never trusted yourself to use them in fights.

  
  
  


* * *

  
  
  


You had already gotten through five cups of the tea before you actually felt the difference.

Now on your sixth cup, you relaxed at the feeling of the warm liquid washing away the buzzing iron taste in your mouth.

You had originally fallen in one of the back caves of this waterfall, the entrance hidden by tall grass and rock, it was easy to pass by. You had marked this spot as one of your break time places, the calm of the atmosphere it provided was an optimal place to come down from the high that your job gave you.

That being said, you didn’t see a reason to go back to the Anti-Void after using your portals - correctly this time - to steal the items you needed.

And in all honesty, you needed to be in one of your break spots after that clashing, as the emotional highs from Creation's words and having to communicate with three other people at once was tiring.

You needed a moment to be a person.

Just a moment.

Taking another sip and sighing, you leaned back against the rocky cavern wall and closed your eye socket.

All for a flash of gold to appear from under your closed lid.

Starting at the disrupt in mood, you stared up at the source, watching a golden portal closed behind the same colored guardian.

He looked unsure of himself yet determined at the same time, fingers wiggling in their gloves as he stood there quietly. Ready to see what you might do at his sudden intrusion.

You hadn’t expected this, the little delusion coming to pay a visit to an old and broken God? Who would have thought?

Setting your stolen mug on the cave floor you stared back into Dream’s eyelights, quietly waited to see what he wanted.

There was a short pause before the golden guardian raised a hand to wave, showing off a somewhat forced smile out of nervousness.

“Uh, hey there! I would introduce myself but, I’m sure you already know my name and what I do.”

You sighed, “ ~~Yes I do, your brother won’t shut up about how annoying you are. So for your sake, you’d better make sure that he was just exaggerating.~~ ”

Dream paused slightly, blinking before chuckling somewhat fondly. “Yeah, that sounds like him. I promise I’m not as annoying as he makes me seem.”

“ ~~Good, I don’t feel dealing with anymore pestering gods or guardians then I already have to.~~ ”

Dream let out another tense laugh, “So are you going to tell me your name? It would be rude of me not to ask.”

You readjusted your position against the cavern wall before answering.

“ ~~Destruction.~~ ” 

The guardian blinked and waved his hands, shaking his head ever so slightly.

“No, not what you are, your name!”

You huffed, but your response didn’t change.

“ ~~Just call me Destruction, names are useless in the long run.~~ ”

Positivity pouted at your persistence but didn’t say anything else about it. His eyelights drifted to an empty spot on the wall next to you and he spoke once more.

“Could I sit next to you? I’m still pretty sore from what happened in that UnderSwap Copy.”

“ ~~No.~~ ”

He looked taken aback by how quick and blunt your answer was before huffing in mild frustration.

And then doing the exact thing you had just denied permission for.

The guardian slid to the ground with a pleased sigh next to you and you leaned away, teeth grinding at his blatant disregard of your last statement.

“ ~~What the hell do you think you're doing?~~ ”

“Sitting down next to you.”

“ ~~Why?~~ ”

“As I said earlier, I’m sore!”

The delusion kept smiling innocently up at you as you scowled down in return. 

Stars, why do all of the other cycled beings have to be such smug bastards. Didn’t they understand that you just wanted to be left-

“That and because it seemed like you needed someone.”

…

What?

You turned away at the accusation hand clenching in the dirt and eye socket closed for a moment.

You turned back just enough for him to see your eyelight, “ ~~Don’t start with that sappy emotional stuff. I’ve been alone my whole existence, I don’t need someone to lean on like that idiot Creator.~~ ”

Dream shuffled slightly, “How long have you been alone?”

You looked down at him, eyelight searching his slight upturned brows and concerned expression.

“ ~~Is there a reason you're here? Because if you're just here to talk then I’m not in the mood.~~ ”

...

His expression didn’t change, and you blew a breath from your nose, “ ~~An epoch.~~ ”

The golden skeleton’s eye sockets narrowed, eyelights searching before they moved back to yours.

“That's… that's just over three million years..”

“ ~~Yep.~~ ”

“But, the multiverse is only around two million years old.”

“ ~~Yep.~~ ”

Dream’s expression became even more worried with each conformation, mouth turning into a thin downturned line.

“So, that means… that you were born before all of this…?”

It was phrased as a question, but you didn’t need to answer it, you just continued to stare off at nothing.

“Oh…”

...

“ ~~Did Creation not tell you of this?~~ ”

Dream wrung his hands together, looking down at his lap.

“No… Ink doesn’t like to talk about where he came from. I just never assumed it would have been such an awful way of coming into the world and to find no world at all.”

You hummed, and took a sip of your stolen tea to chase away the tightness in your throat.

You could feel the guardian’s concerned stare bore into you, and there was a long pause before he seemed to snap himself out of whatever he had been thinking.

“Oh! I’m sorry! I don’t mean to pity you-!”

You barked out a bitter laugh at his scrambled apology.

“ ~~Heh, I’d pity me.~~ ”

The statement made him pause, opening his mouth to speak before closing it once again.

There was a long moment of silence and you took the period of quiet to think.

Why weren’t you leaving?

If you didn’t want to converse with this delusion, _which you didn’t,_ then why haven’t you just got up and left.

…

Your still not leaving, _why aren’t you leaving-_

“Why aren’t you trying to kill me?”

Snapping out of your thoughts you looked down at Dream once more, his gaze now more curious and questioning than anything.

“ ~~You're not a part of my cycle, your existence doesn’t concern me.~~ ”

He gestured a bit wildly with one of his hands, “But, should you hate me or something? I sort of work with your enemy.”

“ ~~As long as you stay out of my work I don’t care what you do. Just don’t interfere with my job and I won’t consider making sewing needles out of your bones.~~ ”

Dream shivered slightly, looking like he wanted to say more on the matter before changing the subject.

“I guess that makes sense. Is that why you ignored me in the field?”

“ ~~Yep, and I’m assuming that’s the same reason why you didn’t interfere with mine and Creation's clashing?~~ ”

“Sort of, Ink made me promise him that I wouldn’t get involved unless you provoked it. Said it wasn’t my battle to fight.”

You let out a slight chuckle, “ ~~Well would you look at that, my opposite isn’t as much as an idiot I thought he was.~~ ”

“Hey! Ink’s not an idiot! He just has trouble controlling himself! And that's not even his fault!”

“ ~~I’ll be here for when you come up with an actual reason that shows Creation isn’t an idiot.~~ ”

Dream growled, or as best as a guardian of positivity can growl, before turning away and pouting.

It was a pretty amusing reaction, and you snorted at his behavior, looking off into the cavern once more. Not noticing as the guardian stilled and turned back to face you.

“Did… did you just laugh?”

...

You froze.

Did you?

No, you didn’t. You had just made a sound out of amusement at the guardian's slightly child-like actions. 

“ ~~No, what makes you think so?~~ ”

“You snorted.”

Dreamed smiled brightly at you even though you had denied his claim, eyelights big and round he chuckled slightly at your response.

“ ~~And…?~~ ”

“Haha! Snorting is a type of laughter silly!”

You growled, eye socket twitching at his reaction.

“ ~~Grrrr stop laughing! Quit it!~~ ”

“I’m sorry! It’s just too funny!”

“ ~~What is?~~ ”

He smiled fondly up at you.

“You do realize that I can feel what you're feeling right?”

You huffed angrily at that, not wanting to provide the question with an answer, and taking a sip of your now cold tea.

The guardian hummed but didn’t add anything on your sudden show of emotion, seeming happy to let this piece of conversation die out.

Which was good, because you had a question of your own.

~~“Guardian.~~ ”

He laughed again, “Yes? You don’t have to be so formal. You can just call me Dream.”

Ignoring the last part of his response you continued. 

“ ~~What are we?~~ ”

It was a question that you had been asking yourself for as long as you can remember. As being the highest being in the multiverse left you no one to go to for guidance or reassurance. Questions and pleads were always left unanswered no matter how loud you had screamed or how many times you asked.

So even if Dream was lower than you, It was hard not to ask something to the only being you’ve had an actual conversation with.

Said guardian seemed to think for a long time, eyebrows tilted down in concentration before looking long and hard at one of the echo flowers in the cavern.

“I'd like to think that people are flowers! The bud being our soul and the petals our emotions that are connected to it.”

He paused for a moment.

“I’d also like to think of the stem and leaves as our physical essence but, that kind of sounds like a bit of a stretch, haha!”

You tsked at his answer, as the guardian seemed to have misunderstood what you asked.

“ ~~No, not those stupid assets, us. Heh, am I supposedly a pretty little flower too?~~ ”

You smiled mockingly at the claim but it faltered as Dream’s face seemed to darken, staring off in the cavern for a minute. His mouth opening and closing repeatedly before he seemed to come to a conclusion.

“You… you were.”

…

Your face went blank, the emotional numbness closing in on your soul faster than you could even attempt to stop it. All but highlighting and proving the guardian's response. Almost emotionless, your eyelight stared down at the guardian as he tried to continue.

“But, I think with a little bit of-”

“ ~~Don’t.~~ ”

You welcomed the aggravation that chased away the temporary numbness, egging the feeling on in your response. “ ~~Don’t say something like that and try to turn it into some sappy hopeful message, it’s not going to change the truth.~~ ”

The guardian looked as if he wanted to cry.

“I’m sorry. I’m just… not good at lying to people and I didn’t want to lie to you.”

You grunted, “ ~~And I’m glad you didn’t. After what seemed like an eternity of asking questions it is nice to finally have an answer.~~ ”

Dream looked at you questioningly, not knowing what to say. “Ummm, your welcome?”

You grunted again.

Taking a moment to finish off your tea you stood, the sudden action startling the guardian.

“What are you doing?”

“ ~~Leaving.~~ ”

“Oh..”

…

“By any chance would you let me heal you?”

“ ~~Touch me and I’ll kill you.~~ ”

Dream let out a laugh at the threat, and your resting blank expression twitched with emotion.

Turning your head to look back at the sitting guardian you spoke.

“ ~~Error.~~ ”

Dream started, head shooting up, “What?”

“ ~~My name. My name is Error.~~ ”

Huh, never thought you’d ever say that phrase out loud. 

Dream’s face lit up like a neon sign, eyelights flashing brightly in their sockets as he smiled.

“Well, it’s nice to meet you Error!”

You didn’t respond, simply nodding before opening a portal - this time in the intended spot - and moving to step through before Dream spoke once more.

“You're going to keep destroying universes aren’t you?”

You looked back, “ ~~Of course, why would I stop?~~ ”

The guardian sighed, gazing at you remorsefully. “You know I’m going to have to try and stop you, right? I can’t let you destroy people's hopes and dreams.”

You huffed.

“ ~~Well, then I hope that when the time comes you’ll be ready for the fight of your life because I don’t give up easily.~~ ”

Dream let out a quiet hum as he played with his cape, still not moving from his spot on the cavern wall.

“We don’t have to be like that, we could-”

“ ~~We could do what guardian? What miracle solution do you have in mind to fix us?~~ ”

…

…

No response.

There was no need for one. Nothing could be done to fix the mess that the four of you had made out of yourselves.

“Bye Error…”

Stepping through the portal, you didn’t look back, but the knot in your chest forced its way through your throat and out of your mouth before you could stop it.

“ ~~Goodbye Dream.~~ ”

The portal closed, and you let the positive aura that Dream provided seep away from you.

  
  


* * *

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


_Your sorrow... Your anger, and suffering. I can feel it all so clearly. Why do you deny it? Why do you turn away from healing at every opportunity?_

_…_

  
  


_I can’t fight someone who is hurting as much as you without even realizing it._

_So, please…_

_Don’t make me fight you._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Error: Why are you here?  
> Dream: Because I was worried about you even though I shouldn't be and I wanted to check up on you.  
> Error: Why?  
> Dream:  
> Dream: Because I care?  
> Error: Why tho???
> 
> Yayyyyyy! look at that, Dream is here! Don't worry, there will defiantly be some huge moments with Dream, especially in Part 1. Thank you again for supporting my story and I can't wait for you guys to witness its upcoming dramas and dilemmas. 
> 
> See you all soon!
> 
> This Chapter: Uncycled allies
> 
> Next Chapter: When mountains crumble


	6. Ascendancy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ascendancy:  
> *occupation of a position of dominant power or influence.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In back! Finally! You have no idea how much I was just itching to get a chapter out because I missed an update! But now it's out so yay!
> 
> I'm gonna be honest, last weekend, after State and even though I was tired as fuck (we didn't get home from the race until 2 pm and we had been there since 7 am) I tried to write this chapter and passed out on my keyboard. My mind was like NOPE! PEACE OUT!
> 
> I woke up like 30 mins later and was like, guess I'm not doing that then xD and relaxed and watched youtube and read all night.
> 
> But yes moving on from my unhealthy tendencies I managed to actually finish writing and editing at 5 am this morning! I usually have to write some after I wake up Sunday morning but I finished this one on time! So ya'll get this chapter a few hours earlier than you usually do!
> 
> But anyway I'm going to shut now!
> 
> Enjoy the chapter!
> 
> Warning; manipulation, child abuse, and child experimentation

Being a god made it easy to forget that there were actually _other_ people around you in the universes you visited. Made it hard to see them as people at all really.

To you, they were just assets of code, an object that had been created to add something to its world. 

You never really understood what that “something” was, or why Creation decided to make such assets in the way that he did.

What was the point in them existing? What was the point in any of this existing?

Why did you exist?

You should have asked Positivity when you had the chance, perhaps he would’ve known the answers to your questions. 

You shook your head slightly - as this was no time to be lingering on such thoughts - and continued to stare at the scene in front of you.

For some reason, it felt odd that your appearance in an AU could change so much if you had been spotted. It’s why you and all the over cycled beings tried to avoid being seen, but the sentiment had never really hit you until now.

Sure, the battle in the field had been overall disruptive and unruly to the copy but assets finding out about your existence had been the least of worries at the time.

And it still was, even with the thought of those puny creatures marveling at you like some anomaly.

You had come back to the copy after feeling the disturbance in the magic you had left behind in your fight.

Turns out, cycled beings don’t dust. Even when a piece of them had been separated from its whole.

And it seems like the main assets here, especially the Undyne, had gotten a hold of yours and Creation’s severed body parts.

The lab was like any other lab one could imagine, the same gray walls and sterile atmosphere. The white artificial lights are organized in long rows across the ceiling, their rectangle-like shapes creating somewhat of a satisfying pattern to gaze at. Even if the lights were off currently.

Metallic tables and rolling trays were strewn about, each holding their own set of tools and a piece from the fight.

Splinters of bone, clips of your string, and vials of yours and Creations lost blood also occupied these tables and trays.

Walking up to a specific tray you pushed the tools aside and removed a piece of your string from the two pinchers that held it taut above the table.

Examining the piece of your magic, you grabbed both ends - one with your mouth and the other with your currently only working hand - and tugged.

Ah… that's what the disturbance was.

You could feel the pull of your magic, almost like it was calling you to the location of the pulled string.

You’ll have to experiment with this new information later.

Dismissing the string you focused back on the main subject in the room.

Two circular, vertical tanks stood tall on a metal stand in the center of the room, each filled with water to the very top. The lights on the bottom mixed with the blue tint of the water cast an ominous glow on the subject of each tank and the wires and tubes attached to it.

Your severed arm and Creations leg floated gently in the confinement of each tank.

If you weren’t technically a mass murderer, you’d be disturbed. But this sight was more interesting than creepy.

Grabbing a hold of your static consumed arm you looked on in thought, maybe the reason why it took so long to regrow limbs was because the original still was capable of reattachment.

Welp, you're not going to figure out much standing here.

Shrugging to yourself, and scratching your newly healed eye-socket you walked up to the tank that contained your missing piece. Rising a fist, you punched a hole straight through the glass and took a couple of steps back as the water and your arm came pouring out.

Before you could move to collect your limb, red lights came on and a blaring alarm sounded from throughout the building.

Huh.

That was a problem.

In the midst of your own curiosity, you had forgotten that a building such as this would have alarms and security systems.

Which also meant that there were probably cameras.

So far for staying unknown and unseen. Not like you had been doing a great job with that in this copy anyway.

Sighing, you stepped forward into the puddle of water and leaned over to collect your arm.

“Stop it right there!”

Oh for star's sake!

You straightened and turned around to stare at the Sans of this copy in disgust. Your eyelights sharpening at his defensive stance and the long bone in his hand. He didn’t look scared at all, even though his involvement in examining your lost body parts clearly showed that he knew about what had gone down in the field.

You stared at each other for a long time.

You grabbed your missing arm - _fucking finally_ \- and moved it close to the one that was covered in glitches and static. The Sans flinched and followed your movements, but didn’t say anything against them.

You both watched as the severed arm dissolved into squares of glitches and static, each “piece” moving to its proper position, fitting into place like a puzzle piece as they all filed together to restore your arm, sleeve and all.

Smiling wide, you flexed your newly regained limb, gazing in interest at the now clawed fingertips.

The sharpened ends weren’t very big, but they were a decent size and looked strong enough to slice into bone.

Huh, a mutation perhaps?

There was a shaky inhale of breath, it was quiet but noticeable nonetheless.

You turned back to the UnderSwap Sans, eyelights glowing in the momentary darkness that the flashing of the red lights above you provided.

His eyelights were smaller than before, and that determined expression faltered just a little bit.

Heh, now he’s scared.

“ ~~Now, why should I listen to an asset as insignificant as you?~~ ” 

It was satisfying to finally feel in control of a conversation like you weren’t just answering to someone else.

The Sans took a deep breath before speaking, “Well, maybe because this is private property you’ve broken into! If you wanted your… arm... back you could have just asked!”  
  


You were surprised by how steady his voice was, although most Sans's were pretty good at keeping it together.

Except when you were tearing apart everything they loved, of course, it was always funny to watch their little pathetic mask crack.

You tilted your head at him, and let your amusement show through your smile.

“ ~~Ask? And why would I do such a silly little thing?~~ ”

The Sans straightened up more and puffed out his chest, “Because it’s polite and rude not too!” 

His tone was reprimanding and you huffed at the notion.

“ ~~And why should I worry about being polite?~~ ”

The Sans’ eyelights harden, and he no longer looked as frightened as he had been minutes ago.

“Because it’s nice and others -including me- would greatly appreciate it.”

You were getting really tired of hearing the word “because” out of that skeleton's mouth.

“ ~~And why should I care about you and other asset’s feelings?~~ ”

“Because It’s the right thing to do!”

“ ~~Again, why should I care?~~ ”

You were more confused than annoyed at the nonsense the Sans was spouting. Was this really the reason why they were all so nice to each other all the time? Because it was the “right” thing to do. Don’t those stupid assets know that there is no such thing as true right and wrong?

Well at least for you there wasn’t.

Everyone was just fighting for their own beliefs and what they wanted out of their existence.

Dream - probably the most sane out of all of you - wanted positivity and to somehow fix his stupid brother.

Ha! With how well that seemed to be going for him you wouldn’t be surprised if the idiot got himself killed first.

Nightmare wanted negativity and the suffering of those around him.

Creation wanted, well… creation.

And you wanted Destruction. 

It was as simple as that, it had been as simple as that. But now that cycles were clashing and AU were being disrupted the realities that everyone wanted started to expand and converge with others.

Dream seemed to be the only one who cared about the “rights and wrongs” of things.

You have a feeling that he and this copy of Sans would get along well.

Said copy stared at you solemnly for a moment, before dismissing his weapon and taking a step forward.

“Well it depends really, there are a lot of answers to that question.”

You didn’t focus on his response, you couldn’t. All you could do was stare at his empty hands in utter perplexion.

He dismissed his weapon.

The Sans got _rid_ of his _weapon_ in your presence.

Was he not afraid of you at all? Did he just assume that the fact that you were having a conversation meant that you weren’t going to attack him?

“ ~~You… dismissed your weapon.~~ ”

The Sans looked confused at your statement, “Yes I did! I noticed your non - violent manner and realized that I wouldn’t have to fight you. And that we could hopefully talk this out peacefully!”

....what?

“ ~~You saw the battle in the field, correct?~~ ”

“Yep!”

…

Was this copy missing all of his brain cells?

“ ~~And after seeing what happened, you are perfectly comfortable being in my presence with no weapon or backup.~~ ”

The Sans tapped his chin in thought for a moment, “Well I wouldn’t say perfectly comfortable, no offense but I am a teensy bit nervous after watching the fight but otherwise yes!”

You didn’t know what to say to that.

This idiot had seen you rip someone's leg off and was only a little bit nervous to be around you.

You could understand why Dream had been so relaxed, he knew that you wouldn’t kill him. The little delusion could read your feels after all.

That and the first hit of murderous intent and he would’ve been jumping through a portal.

But this, insignificant little creature being only a little nervous had you stumped.

You were completely dumbfounded.

“Oh come on! You're not that scary.” The Sans smiled at you with mirth in his eyelights, the blue lights sparkling with amusement.

You blinked once, then twice, before taking a strong step forward.

The Sans didn’t flinch.

“ ~~Oh really? Is that so?~~ ”

You pulled strings from your eye sockets and smiled wide, your eyelights glowing slightly.

The Sans looked up at you for a moment before waving his hand, “Pffff nope! At least not right now! Especially with how dumbfounded you looked a second ago.”

Your strings dissolved, and you lowered your arms, face blanking in utter confusion.

What…

_What!?_

You scowled, hands fisting, and brows slanting as you stared down at the silently laughing Sans.

“ ~~You stupid idiot! Do you really think that I wouldn’t hesitate to string you up and destroy your soul!?~~ ”

The Sans raised an eyebrow, “Well if you wanted to you would’ve done it as soon as I walked into the room. And throughout this whole conversation, you still haven’t done anything sooo…”

_This little-_

After that comment you wasted no time in stringing up the offending skeleton, watching amusingly as he tried to adjust to the sudden change of position.

In your haste to prove the Sans wrong, your act of restraining him wasn’t very neat, and each limb hung at a slightly awkward angle.

He blinked a couple of times before looking at the floor and then back to you.

“Oh… Well then.”

Your voice glitched a little more than usual as you tried to keep from laughing at his dumbfounded expression, “ ~~As you were saying~~ ~~_blueberry?_ ~~”

He blinked again, before blushing in embarrassment at the nickname.

“Hey! I am not a _blueberry!_ And drop the name-calling, it is very rude!”

You crossed your arms and raised an eyebrow, “ ~~Oh really? Because you sure do look like one. Also, what did I just say about rudeness? I. Don’t. Care.~~ ”

“Well, I do not look like a blueberry! And as a proud member of the Royal Guard, I demand you to put me down so I can smack some manners into that skull of yours!”

Okay, this was pretty entertaining. Maybe you could have a little fun with the blueberry of a Sans.

Your voice became as dead toned as your expression, “ ~~Oooo I’m so scared. Can’t you see me shaking in my sandals.~~ ”

“Which are an awful choice of footwear by the way!”

“ ~~Well they're comfy and that's all that I care about.~~ ”   
  


He raised an eyebrow, “You seem to not care about a lot of things.”

You shrugged slightly, “ ~~Being neutral makes it easy to not care about a lot of things.~~ ”

The Sans smiled, “You seem like more of a chaotic neutral after what happened in that field.”

“ ~~Fair.~~ ”

“Which was pretty unnecessary might I add.”

“ ~~The fight between me and that ink stain?~~ ”

The Sans’ hands gesture wildly in your strings, his eyelights drifting from yours as he seemed to go off on a rant.

“Everything about it! Your argument and the fight that followed was ridiculous and needlessly brutal! If both of you had just taken a minute to breathe and stop acting like children then maybe none of this would have happened! But instead of talking it out like normal people, you both decided to tear each other apart over a misunderstanding! I swear when I get my hands on the other one I am going to be resorting to more _aggressive_ methods of teaching him how to contain his emotions!”

…

“ ~~Wow, got everything out that you needed too?~~ ”

The Sans looked at you surprised, “What- That's your reaction to that!”

“ ~~Didn’t we just go over the fact that I don’t care about a multitude of things.~~ ”

He sighed, and you almost laughed at the blueberry’s “done with everything” expression.

“Could you at least care enough about the fact that this is very uncomfortable and that I would like for you to please put me down?”

Hmmm, should you?

....

“ ~~Sure, why not?~~ ”

His eyes widened at your mocking expression but before the Sans could get a word out you let go and watched with amusement as he met the floor.

You chuckled at the look on his face as he rose from his pitiful position on the ground.

“Was that really necessary?”

“ ~~For my own amusement, yes, very.~~ ”

The Sans sighed and pinched his nasal bone as you let your smile fade slightly.

How much time had you wasted playing with this asset? Why were you even talking to this asset? The revelation dawned on you and your eye sockets widened slightly.

You weren’t supposed to be here. You're not supposed to be willingly interacting with an asset and corrupting its story.

Welp, you weren’t just called a “chaotic neutral” for nothing.

Though you did really want to return to the Anti-Void, the constant flashing of red was really starting to get annoying, even if the alarm had stopped a while ago.

You turned around and opened a portal in front of you just as the Sans raised his head.

“What is that? Wait! Are you leaving? Just like that?”

“ ~~Yep.~~ ” 

  
He looked astonished at your lack of communication skills before speaking again.

“Are you not going to take your uh… friend’s leg with you?”

You looked back, confused, “ ~~Pft, no. He probably doesn’t even need it anymore. I’m pretty sure that ink stain can just paint himself a new one anyway.~~ ”

…

“I have, so many questions.”

“ ~~Well too bad, because I'm not going to answer any of them. Also, you're okay with the thought of me stealing more of your stuff. I thought you were a guard.~~ ”

“I said I was a _proud_ Royal Guard, not a lawful one! Plus, most of this is technically not ours anyway”

You snorted and moved to step through the portal when the copy spoke again.

“Wait!” He held up an arm as if to stop you from leaving, “will you be coming back?”

“ ~~Probably not.~~ ”

“Could I at least get your name?”

“ ~~No.~~ ”

“Could I get something to call you by??”

“ ~~No.~~ ”

“Well then, umm… my name is Sans by the way. Sorry for the late introduction.”

“ ~~Didn’t need it. I already knew your name.~~ ”

“Umm, _how!?”_

“ ~~Classified.~~ ”

There was the soft smack of cloth meeting bone as the blueberry dragged a gloved hand down his face.

You snorted at his misery and stepped into the white abyss, turning to look back at the Sans before closing the portal.

He waved at you, “Well, goodbye I guess!”

“ ~~Goodbye blueberry.~~ ”

“For the last time, _I am not-!”_

You closed the portal and leaned back on a hoop of strings that were hanging low enough from the ceiling for you to relax on.

Finally some peace.

You were getting tired of interacting with people, no matter how interesting they were.

Just then, a loud crack sounded through the Anti-Void and shot up to stand, startled - and slightly fearful- by the loud noise.

You looked around, and your eyes locked on to a black crack that seemed to be floating in mid-air to the left of you. It wasn’t expanding, but it was still present and stood out ominously against the stark white.

You moved until you were just in front of it, eye sockets widening at the magic signature you could feel coming off of it.

It was a gateway, an unstable one at that but still some sort of gateway nonetheless.

Someone was trying to make a traversable opening into the Anti-Void.

  
  


* * *

  
  


01 panted heavily as he stood over the dusty remains of what had been his captor.

He had done it.

He had killed him.

_Finally._

01 took a deep breath, unbothered by the particles of dust that got caught with the air as he inhaled.

Even now, he could still feel the feeling of LV rushing through his bones. The heat of it flowing through him like electricity, filling him with a sense of power that he had never felt before.

It felt like straight euphoria and 01 wanted more of it.

He needed more of it.

If this was what killed someone who deserved to be dusted felt like then 01 wanted nothing more than to keep killing.

Because Gaster and people like him all deserved to die by his hands.

The experiments, the fighting, the needles, and lasers, and pain. 01 knew that there would be other monsters like this. Other monsters like Gaster who thought that they had all the power.

Other monsters who thought it was okay to stomp out his light.

02…

_Why did it have to be 02?_

The little skeleton had always been so bright in this dark, dark lab. Filling the room with his smile and positivity. 02 had always made you feel like it would somehow be okay. That everything would be fine.

**_And then Gaster killed him._ **

01 didn’t care that Gaster said he hadn’t meant to. Didn’t care if it was an accident or not. He didn’t want a new 02 or some other skeleton to be made in this hell hole.

All he wanted, was to kill.

And so kill he did.

He showed no mercy to the scientist as his manifested bones impaled Gaster’s wailing body.

**_One by one._ **

01 made it slow, and he made it painful.

And it was _glorious._

Taking a shaky step back 01 smiled, grabbing his face to feel as his smile grew wider.

And wider.

_And wider._

It just felt so good, the power over someone who had thought that they were better than you.

01 just felt so amazingly good.

Taking another step back, he threw his head back and laughed, tears falling freely from 01’s face at the sheer onslaught of emotions.

Gaster had said that he was doing this for all of monsterkind, that they needed this.

That meant that they all wanted his suffering, they all needed his suffering!

01 wouldn’t let them have it! He’d make them all pay for what they did to 02!

He’d kill all of them! Yes, yes, he’d make them all pay!

He’d kill! He’d kill! He’d kill! He’d kill! He’d kill! _He’d kill! He’d kill! He’d kill!_ **_He’d kill! He’d-!_ **

There was the sound of a - somewhat wet? - footstep behind him and 01 stopped laughing.

There was another footstep and he didn’t hesitate, turning and summoning a small gaster blaster, 01 fired.

The beam of white blocked his vision and the brightness of it made him close his eyes. But when he opened them, the figure standing there was not one he expected to see.

Another skeleton monster covered in black tar with one eyelight and four tentacles waving around from it’s back. His jagged shaped mouth was formed in a wide smile, and he didn’t even look slightly hurt from 01’s attack.

**“That was an impressive attack from someone as small as you, nice reflexes as well. Though, your base damage could use some work.”**

The tar monster moved forward and 01 readied his blaster again.

“Who are you!?” He shouted, not letting any fear show in his voice.

The stranger pouted, **“Awww, come on! No need for that! I came to offer you a proposition. I could use some help from a strong and fearless being such as yourself.”**

01 paused and let his blaster disappear.

This monster…

“You think I’m strong?”

The tar monster now stood in front of him, looking at 01 as if he had finally found the answer to all of his problems.

**“Why yes of course! Anyone who could take down such a formidable foe such as you did would be. And at such a young age… I’m impressed.”**

01 blushed slightly at the complements being thrown at him, sheepishly rubbing the back of his neck. “Well, I was just doing what I thought was right.”

The stranger smiled proudly at him, **“And so it was. That** **_bastard_ ** **deserved to die as much as all the other monsters who think the same.”**

01 blinked up at him in awe, “You know about the other monsters too?”

The tar-covered skeleton looked off to the side, and his expression saddened.

**“Yes… unfortunately I do. They’re the ones that drove me to this painful form.”**

01 looked at him sympathetically, imagining how painful it must be to be covered in black tar all the time.

Trying his best to be supportive of the other being who had clearly suffered as much as him, 01 put on his best-encouraging smile.

“What did they do to you?”

The stranger sighed, seeming to become lost in his own sorrow.

**“They tortured me for what I was and ended up pushing me over the edge. My own brother didn’t even come to my aid.”**

01 gasped in utter revulsion. How could someone do that to their own brother! How could anyone do that to someone as kind as him!

“I’m so sorry! If I even see him or any of those other jerks I’ll make them pay!”

The stranger looked back at him, hopeful, **“You would do that? For me?”**

01 nodded his head, “Of course!”

The jagged smile returned and 01’s smile widened in response.

**“Thank you. I appreciate the sentiment but I came here to help you, not the other way around.”**

01 tilted his head in confusion, “Help… me?”

The tar monster smiled wider, **“That’s correct. Because even though you have defeated your biggest enemy, you have nowhere to go, correct?”**

He looked around, realizing that the stranger was right.

01 had nowhere to go, no home to go to.

**“But I could provide that for you.”**

01 looked hopefully up at the kind stranger.

**“You see small one, I am in a bit of a pickle, as one might say. I have come to realize that I can not take on my brother or those that oppose me alone. That I am in need of a strong fighter to help me make them pay for what they’ve done to me.”**

01’s eyelights sparkled as he realized what the stranger was asking of him.

**“So, my proposition is simple. I give you a home and training to become a better fighter. And even better, you get to help me take out the ones who work for our suffering.**

**“Do we have a deal?”**

01 wasted no time in shaking the other's hand, practically itching to get his hands on whoever dared threaten their happiness. 

“Deal! I want to help you... uh…”

**“Nightmare.”**

“Nightmare.”

Said monster smiled, wrapping a tentacle around 01’s back and turning around as some sort of black circle formed in the middle of the hallway in front of them.

**“Now come on, let's get you some new clothes. Then we can talk more on the specifics of our deal.”**

01 pouted, “But we can’t just leave! We need to make them all pay now! They all deserve to die now, just like Gaster did!”

Nightmare smiled fondly down at him and chuckled, **“Now, now. That will all come with time, we must make sure you are well trained for such a battle.”**

They moved closer to the circle, and 01 wanted to ask what it was before Nightmare spoke again.

**“Do not worry my little scourge, when the time comes.** **_We will make mountains crumble.”_ **

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Into future chapters we go!!*  
> Nightmare: Oh this version of Sans is a child and going insane because of LV  
> Error: Yeah....  
> Nightmare: I could use someone like that  
> Error: Um.. what?  
> Nightmare: I'm going to pretend to be the victim and manipulate him so he can be my murder toy.  
> Error: Wow... That's pretty fucking sick Nightmare.  
> Nightmare: So? Are you going to stop me?  
> Error:  
> Error: Lol nope. Have fun with your new toy.
> 
> Error: (Oh this is going to piss him off so much.) HEY KID-!  
> Nightmare: YOU FUCKING-!
> 
> Oh boy if the FBI ever got ahold of this I would definitely be going to jail for this chapter, 100%.
> 
> But anyway Nightmare you utter piece of shit. I have probably made you the most hated character of this fic and I am not sorry.
> 
> But anyway, UNDERSWAP SANS IS HERE!! YAYYYYY!  
> Just to let you all know though, there were a lot of outcomes for this chapter and one of them included him dying. 
> 
> Just putting that fact out there because some of you are forgetting that the multiverse is very, very young and the only outcode that exists right now is Core. Ink and Error have just started their opposition. Dream and Nightmare are still technically babies. And Nightmare doesn't even have his gang yet. And if you're counting how time passes in epochs and eras, which are millions of years, then really think about who is who before you let your heart break. :3
> 
> But yeah, I guess that's it! Thanks for 100 Kudos and I'll see you all next week (I am so excited for that chapter you have no flipping idea)!
> 
> This Chapter: Friendly conversations and deceiving discussions
> 
> Next Chapter: Breaking out of the code


	7. Perforation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Perforation:  
> *a hole made by boring or piercing; an aperture passing through or into something.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HOI BOY I'M LATE! Okay, so before you guys murder me, I actually have a good excuse. I had the chapter all written out and ready last week but while I was editing it just wasn't happy with the result. So! I rewrote the whole thing! Yayyy!
> 
> But seriously, I am so much happier with this version of the chapter and I was literally cackling almost the entire time while writing it. I hope you guys find it just as funny as I did!
> 
> (I edited this at 3 in the morning so sry if there are any typos! I have to dogsit tomorrow so I had to get this out today!)
> 
> *Hi LindChives! When I saw that you bookmarked my fic I may or may not have squealed like a little girl. I love your fic and it inspired me to start writing again so the fact that you like mine as well is just! I am SHOOK! Everyone go check out her/his fic! It's wonderful and funny as heck!*
> 
> Enjoy the chap!

You knew that the gateway was going to be a problem if you did take care of it. It was unstable but it could be made transversal if whoever behind it fixed the magical frequency. Whatever machine that they were using clearly had not been made to connect to the Anti-Void so the probability that the gateway would connect successfully was nonexistent.

Still, the fact that it was able to connect at all should have been concerning.

Keyword, _should._

The magic signature coming from it indicated that it was from one of those UnderTale copies. Most likely a Sans trying to reach the Void to find that Gaster character. It’s always the Sans’s that seem to be causing the most trouble.

Stupid assets.

Yeah, you didn’t feel like confronting another one of those again.

You could just destroy the copy but there weren’t a lot of UnderTale copies and getting rid of one of them would most definitely attract Creation.

Which was something also you didn’t want.

So, in the end, you just left it there. It wasn’t making any noise and the magic signature it was giving off didn’t really bother you all too much. You could take care of it later, but for now, you just wanted a little peace before the twinge in your soul started up once again.

You hadn’t taken the time to stitch up the tears in your clothes yet anyway. The fact that you had been missing an arm up until however long ago being the main reason for that aspect. Now that all of your injuries had been healed, you could truly relax without the nagging pain.

The spaciousness of your domain was much needed after everything that had happened, and you welcomed how everything seemed to fall back into the normal routine. Even if your urge to destroy grew louder as time went on.

You didn’t let it fester too long, as you had finished your repairs, and watching other AUs could only entertain you for so long.

Choosing an UnderFell copy this time, you let yourself go. It was so much more enjoyable to destroy universes like these because of their aggressive nature. Sure, killing fleeing assets was amusing, but you took more pleasure in putting down the ones that fought back.

You happened to start your destroying while the reset asset of this AU was in the middle of a genocide run. Even if that did mean you would have fewer assets to fight, it also meant that you would have less work to do before destroying the timeline. And as an added plus, you would get to play with a Chara who thought they ruled the world.

Not too bad of a trade-off in the end.

You watched from afar as the little creature grew stronger, turning its victims to dust. It’s grin got wider as it carried on, red eyes glowing with bloodlust and power. 

Power it thought it had.

In reality, the little murder was nothing more than a speck in the plane that your multiverse had been created on.

It’s amazing how some assets think they own it all when they really have no idea how much they didn’t matter.

You followed in the reset asset’s footsteps, shaking the dust off of your sandals every so often. Watching the action in person was surprisingly more entertaining than seeing it from a portal. Was this the reason that Nightmare seemed so keen on being involved in literally everything?

You’ll never be able to understand that guardian’s motives.

Shaking your skull slightly and focusing back at the task at hand, you watched from behind the golden pillars as the Chara fought the Sans of this AU.

It was an interesting battle as it was pointless. Though, you’re not in the best position to complain, as your fight with Creation was more on the pointless side as well.

And now you’re starting to sound like that UnderSwap Sans, _stupid blueberry._

There was a cry of pain as the Chara hit the ground, its body was torn open around the torso. Red liquid pooled around the struggling body and you continued to watch gleefully as the creature tried to get up without fail.

It was going to die any minute now, which means the AU would load back for the 50th time now. It wasn’t too annoying for you since the loads and resets didn’t affect outcodes. You would just remain in the same place while the assets reset back to where they were at the save point.

But still, after dealing with it fifty times, you were more ready to just wipe this AU off of the multiverse.

Besides, your soul was actually starting to hurt with how lazy you were being.

Pulling out your strings, you stepped forward and captured the reset asset’s soul before it could break. You made sure to avoid the blood, not wanting to get any on your sandals even if they were black.

Opening a portal to connected the strings that held the soul to the nest in the Anti-Void, watching as it rose up alongside the others before closing the portal once more.

The Sans was speaking but you weren’t really paying attention, whatever the stupid asset was saying wasn’t relevant anyway.

You walked towards him, staring deep into his form as his stance became more nervous and enraged at your lack of response. You saw the Sans’ mouth begin to open but you didn’t give him time to finish, not wanting to hear what he had to say.

The rest of your destruction went smoothly and going through a couple more UnderFell universes helped calm your more… _violent_ urges. Now going through one of the DanceTale copies you took your time in making it through the Underground. Relishing in the fact that Nightmare hadn’t appeared yet to feed off of the negativity.

It was a rare first but you weren’t going to complain.

You didn’t care what that guardian did as long as he left you alone.

Still, it was hard to forget that there were others who could show up to interfere with your work in more aggravating ways.

“Error.”

You turned around, the snow crunching under your feet as you stared slightly enraged at the interruption.

Ugh, it was going so well.

Creation looked at you with that same stupid solum expression that he had on the day you both met each other face to face. He wasn’t holding his brush - yet - and his gloved hands fidgeted restlessly like it was taking all of his will to stand in one place.

The Creator scratched the back of his skull nervously, “Hey Error! I, uhh-”

“ ~~Leave.~~ ”

“What? But I didn’t even- _oh...”_

A glitched blaster hovered at your side as you scowled at the brown scarfed skeleton. You didn’t want to hear his stupid voice. All that you wanted to do was get the battle over with so that you could get back to destroying as soon as possible. 

Your eye sockets narrowed as Creation stepped back, putting his hands up like that would somehow pacify your intentions.

“Hey! Wait! I don’t want to fight you! I’m just here to talk, we don’t have to-”  
  


“ ~~I said leave me the hell alone!~~ ”

You fired and Creation leaped out of the way, landing on the snow with a soft crunch and grabbing ahold of his brush. He didn’t pull it out of the stash belt yet, just holding it so it would be ready for emergency use.

The Creator sighed, body still crouched and ready but face pained, “I don’t want to fight you.”

You didn’t answer, pulling strings out of your eye sockets and shooting them at your opponent, you let yourself fall into the dance of battle seamlessly.

Even if Creation seemed to be resisting it.

The brown scarfed skeleton wasn’t attacking back no matter what you threw at him. Just dodging and blocking to the best of his ability. Even worse, he wouldn’t stop preaching his stupid ideals in between every attack.

“Error! Calm down! I just want to talk!”

“ ~~No!~~ ”

“Are you even listening to me?!”

“ ~~Shut the hell up and just leave me alone already!~~ ”

You used your strings to hold yourself up in the air, using your blasters to fire down on the creator as he dodged and weaved. 

Since you had just been making your way out of the Runes your fight had begun on the pathway into Snowden. The pathway only contained a small amount of space for Creation to openly dodge without having to worry about running into something. And now from your high vantage point, it was easy to see how much he was struggling.

“ ~~Keep dodging! See if it helps!~~ ”

Creation cupped one hand around his mouth and looked up toward you mid-run, “Well it’s been working just fine for me so far thank you very much!”

A red bone erupted up from the ground in his path and the Creator collided with it full force, falling backwards to the ground with a groan.

“Owww... You jerk!”

You snorted, lowering from your position in the sky and landing at Creations feet as he seemed strangely content with his place in the snow.

“ ~~Yeah, dodging is surely working well for you huh?~~ ”

He laughed, “Pff, okay fine you were right. That was still a cheap shot though!”

“ ~~Well maybe,~~ ” You leaned over him, your form casting a shadow over his. “ ~~If you had bothered to actually pay attention to where you were going you wouldn't have run full force into my attack.~~ ”

Creation pouted, pushing himself up on his elbows with a smirk, colorful eyelights sparkling. 

“Well maybe, you should bother to pay more attention to your surroundings.”

You didn’t have time to react before getting a face full of inky bristles.

Screeching and glitching wildly you flailed in an attempt to wipe all of the ink off of your face. You coughed and hacked at the feeling of it pouring out of your mouth as half of the ink had gone inside your skull.

All the while Creation cackled at your suffering, laughing so hard was wheezing from lack of air.

Wiping your face for the hundredth time, you glared hard at the now standing skeleton as he leaned over and clutched his middle, crying tears of amusement.

“Ahahaha! What was that noise?! Hahaha- your, your face! Oh, st-stars I can’t breathe! Ahaha-!”

Shaking with rage, three blasters glitching into existence around you, maws open and ready. 

The Creator’s expression quickly dropped, “Wait! No no no no no, wait a minute!”

“ ~~YOU.~~ ”

“Hold on! Wait a second!”

“ ~~YOUR DEAD!~~ ”

Creation turned on a dime and sprinted in the opposite direction with you not too far behind, firing shots of pure white as you both ran through the woods.

The further you both ran the more your rage began to dissipate as you could hear the faint echoes of “Crap! Crap! Crap! Crap!” from the Creator as you closed in on him.

Grinning wide, you pushed your legs to go faster as you closed in on your prey.

  
  


Though the situation you had found yourself in was a little odd as you had other, more convenient options than running. You could just pull yourself forward with your strings or ride one of your blasters. You could even open a portal as just appear right in front of the idiot.

So why weren’t you doing that instead of this?

Maybe you just wanted to play with him a little bit, that’s all. 

Pulling yourself out of your thoughts, you silently laughed as Creation almost tripped over his two feet, stumbling haphazardly to right himself, before continuing.

“ ~~What’s the matter Creator? Running out of options?~~ ”

Said Creator looked over his shoulder and laughed back at you, “Hah! Good one!”

Good one? What- oh.

Oh, Stars dammit!

A blaster fired but your scream was still heard over the blast, “ ~~SHUT UP!~~ ”

“MAKE ME!”

Growling, you aimed your blasters up towards the rocky ceiling far enough in front of the fleeing skeleton.

“ ~~Fine!~~ ”

White-hot beams went over Creations head and collided with the cave ceiling and a faint rumbling sound echoed over the both of you.

You stopped running, watching as the Creator continued to plow headstrong into the trap.

“Ha! You missed!” 

You raised an eyebrow, “ ~~Did I?~~ ”

There was an earthly roar and Creation skid to a stop just before a giant slab of stone crashed through the trees, landing right in front of him.

There was a pause, and you opened your mouth to speak when another piece slammed down right next to you.

You both froze, Creation turning around to look at you with a “really?” expression before it started raining. Stones, all large enough to shallow you under their mass completely started to crash to the ground around the two of you.

You cursed, opening a portal to avoid being crushed by your own trap. Before you could step through it though, there was a loud splash as inky hands sealed themselves under your armpits.

“SURPRISE!”

It was at this moment that you realized that throughout your entire existence had you not once been touched, nor had you touched anyone.

You flinched hard in Creations grasp as the places where his body touched yours felt like pins and needles stabbing your bones. You almost screamed but it came out as a choked gasp as your form was yanked down into the puddle of ink that Creation had come out of.

As soon as your body met the puddle you became liquid, bones, and clothes melting into ink as you sunk into the puddle. Even after the horrifying experience of feeling your bones melt, the liquid that used to be you didn’t stop its movement. Flowing and moving downward you could feel yourself rushing with some unseen current to stars knows where. It was overall disorienting and sicking, so much so that it made you feel like you wanted to throw up. The only problem being was that you didn’t have a body to throw up with anymore.

It felt like an eternity before your form erupted from another black puddle, your head solidifying first as you gasped, gulping in air that you didn’t need. The rest of your body formed smoothly as you crawled further, but it didn’t make it any less sickening to feel your own bones melt back together.

You stayed there on your knees for a while, shakey hands scraping against the dark rocky ground. Still gasping as you realized that it wasn’t just your hands shaking, the sound of rattling bones giving it away.

You couldn’t decide on what was more horrifying, being touched for the first time in your life or melting into ink.

“I think I’ve decided that causing cave-ins is now considered off-limits. Because WOW! I was not ready for that at all haha! Ugh, Dream’s going to be so mad at me if any of those rocks actually fell on someone.”

Have you really never had physical contact with someone? Never touched someone? You can’t think of any instance that you had. You never needed to touch someone, never thought of doing it. But now…

Now you don’t know what to think.

“Error? Hey, are you okay? Your breathing pretty heavy there for someone who doesn’t need to breathe at all.”

You could still feel where Creation grabbed you. The burning sensation of pins stabbing your bones that had persisted through his horrible mode of travel. For some reason, it felt worse than having your limbs ripped off. Worse than anything you have ever felt.

You wanted it to stop.

“Umm… Error? You're shaking pretty hard there pal…”

You wanted this feeling to stop. Your mind felt numb but panicky all at once, vision blurring to the point of not even being able to differentiate your hands from the ground beneath you. Your limbs felt like they were on fire, your whole body now filled with this horrid pin stabbing pain.

“Error?”

You continued to gasp, choking on nothing as you greedily sucking in air.

Why were you like this? Why couldn’t you stop?

Everything went still and your mind cleared as you realized…

This feeling…

You were scared.

Scared of touching… scared of being touched.

“Hey Error, It’s okay.”

A hand grasped your shoulder and whatever fragile clarity you had reached was shattered in an instant.

Choking on your own scream, you whipped around to shove Creation away from you, not realizing that you had summoned a pointed bone in your hand until it slashed across his cheek. You both feel backward on your own pelvis’ one holding his cheek in surprised shock and curiosity and the other shaking heavily in confused fear.

There was silence for a while, and you rested a hand on your beating soul to calm yourself down.

“You… you’re scared of touch.”

You said nothing.

“You have haphephobia… don’t you?”

You do, but you’re not going to admit out loud. Maybe if you don’t say it then it somehow won’t be true.

Taking deep breaths, you were finally able you calm down and actually look at your surroundings. Hands still slightly shaking, you looked up towards the sky and immediately realized where you were.

OuterTale.

Looking around the familiar cliff face you sighed and moved to let your feet dangle above the colorful abyss.

There was a shuffle as Creation moved to join you but he made sure not to sit too close.

“Have you never been touched by anyone before? Have you never… touched someone before?”

You continued to stare off into the stars.

“Oh… huh.”

After a moment your eyelights drifted to Creations form, he looked uncomfortable, to say the least, but he also looked slightly guilty. Playing with the ends of his scarf, the artist stared at his swing feet, eyelights shaped like teardrops.

You tsked at his expression, resuming to staring out at the cool colors of the starry sky.

“ ~~Your mode of transportation is awful.~~ ”

Creation shot up and stared at you questioningly, eyelights now question marks, “Really? I think it’s pretty cool!”

You looked into his eyelights and glared hard to make sure he understood your point, “ ~~No. No, it’s not. It’s sicking and if you ever force me through that shit again I’ll kill you.~~ ”

Creation snorted, “Okay one, yes. Yes, it is. Two, It’s not sickening. You just being a baby. And Three, I’m pretty sure I can’t die. So um yeah, good luck with that!”

You raised an eyebrow.

“ ~~What do you mean “I’m pretty sure I can’t die.”? Were~~ ~~Epsilon outcodes. We can’t die, you should know that by now.~~ ”

The Creator looked like he was just about to say something and then stopped, snapping his jaw shut and sweating slightly as he looked away.

You realized that once again, all of his vials were missing from the stash belt.

Huh.

“Yeah, your right! Sorry just me being an idiot again, forget what I said!” He scratched the back of his neck, sheepishly looking everywhere but at you.

“ ~~You’re an idiot all of the time Ink. Don’t pretend like your not.~~ ”

“Wha- Hey! I am not!”

“ ~~Sure, whatever helps you sleep at night.~~ ”

“Your such a meany!”

“ ~~Wow, would you look at that. The God of Destruction. A meany. Never would’ve imagined that.~~ ”

“Okay, now you’re just being a jerk.”

“ ~~Sure, why not?~~ ”

Ink laughed, smiling brightly at the interaction that you didn’t think was amusing enough to warrant such a reaction. Even so, you couldn’t help but let out a breathy chuckle, just a small one.

His laugher quieted down, and Ink’s smile turned hopeful.

“Soooo…” He mused, “Are we friends now?”

Your expression immediately turned sour.

“ ~~Ew, no.~~ ”

Ink whined, leaning closer as if that would somehow change your mind, “What come on! We were making so much progress! Can’t you feel the connection?”

“ ~~No.~~ ”

“Oh come on, please! I need someone to talk to besides Dream!”

“ ~~No.~~ ”   
  


“Errorrrrrr~. I’m gonna die if you don’t become friends with me! You’re killing me. I’m dying.”

“ ~~Then perish.~~ ”

“But my soul Error! I can feel it breaking! You have to save it!”

“ ~~Save what? You don’t have one.~~ ”

Whatever act he had been trying to hold up snapped, as Ink froze for a second, choking on his own spit before he began to break down in laughter once more.

“Your such a jerk!”

You rolled your eyes, “ ~~As I’ve been told.~~ ”

Ink continued to laugh, letting out small snorts before composing himself. He seemed to search for something to say before his expression lit up and one of his eyelights turned into an exclamation mark.

“Wait! Okay! I have an idea!”

“ ~~Oh stars.~~ ”

Ink held up his hands, “Okay here me out! What if every time you tried to destroy an AU we fight each other! Y’Know? Like, long time enemies or something! Think of how cool and dramatic that would be! The forces of good and evil, creation and destruction clashing together over the fate of a universe!”

You went to cut him off but the stupid idiot didn’t stop talking, “That way we don’t have to be friends but, I still get to talk to you every so often!”

You scowled and turned away from the artist, standing up and beginning to move away from the cliff.

“ ~~No.~~ ”

“Oh come on! It could be fun!” Ink stood up after you, scrambling up to stand beside you as you motioned to open up a portal.

“ ~~No, it won’t.~~ ” You bit back, eyelights sharp. “ ~~What happened with our fight in the field? Don’t you hate me?~~ ”

Ink stared at you questioningly, before realization dawned on his face and he sighed. “To be honest, I don’t really remember what happened. Sure we screamed at each other, fought, and lost some limbs but besides that, I don’t really remember anything. It’s all kind of a blur, to be honest. I just came to apologize because Dream told me to. Oh! Which I almost forgot to do! So um, sorry? I guess?”

Ink shrugged and you found yourself completely baffled.

Did he really have that bad of a memory that he forgot what happened the first time the both of you meant?

“ ~~Ink.~~ ”

“Umm yeah?”

“ ~~You’re an idiot~~.”

He rolled his eyelights but smiled nonetheless, “Yes, yes. I’m an idiot. Got it. Anything else Glitchy?”

You huffed at the nickname but didn’t bother commenting further. Opening a portal, you stepped through before the artist could stop you.

Ink raised his hand to reach out to you before pulling it back down to his side. “Well, I guess I’ll be seeing you later then, _nemesis!_

You groaned, “ ~~Ugh, please don’t call me that.~~ ”

Ink smirked, “Sure thing nemesis!”

“ ~~Go die in a hole.~~ ”

“Can’t! We’re immortal remember?”

“ ~~Fuck you.~~ ”

Ink’s cackling was cut off as you closed the portal, flopping down on a group of low hang strings with a sigh.

Stars… what was even going on anymore?

  
  


* * *

  
  


It took a while for Ink to stop laughing but once he did, Ink made sure to write a note done on his scarf so he didn’t forget about his important discovery.

He was pretty sure that forgetting about something like that was considered rude anyway.

Writing in all caps and underlining it, he smiled solemnly at the note and sighed.

“ERROR HAS HAPHEPHOBIA! DO NOT TOUCH HIM! IT SCARES HIM!!” 

This was fine, it would be fine! Ink could work with this, he just needed to find a way to get Error over it before they could become true friends!

Could they become friends without touch? Ink doesn’t think so. He’s watched a lot of AU’s to learn how friendship really works before confronting him and all of them showed some kind of physical affection.

Like the hugs he gets from Dream!

Dream’s hugs are nice, they always feel so warm.

Shaking himself from his stupor, Ink jumped into his portal and the deserted area of OuterTale was quiet once more.

  
  


* * *

  
  


It hadn’t been hard to track the location of where the crack came from, after all, it was practically broadcasting its position, just begging for you to pay a visit.

And who were you to deny it?

You stood in the Sans’ basement, watching as he continued to work on the machine, not realizing that the most dangerous being in the multiverse was standing right behind him. But when he did notice, oh the terror on his face.

The Sans had looked behind himself casually before doing a double-take and shooting up to his feet, knocking over tools and parts in the process.

Eyelights gone, he shook and leaned on the machine for support, staring at you like you had just killed his brother before his very eyes.

~~“Just so you know.~~ ” You mused, “ ~~I’ve been standing here for around 15 minutes.~~ ”

The Sans shivered.

You stepped forward, and he stepped back in the wall. Pressing himself against it as you advanced on his pathetic form.

“ ~~So...”~~

You captured his soul in strings to prevent him from teleporting away. The Sans jerked, eyelights coming back as pinpricks, staring into yours with confusion and terror.

You felt a shadow come over your face.

**_“ ~~Just what do you think you’re doing with that machine?”~~_ **

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ink: DREAM! DREAMMMMM!!!!  
> Dream: What happened this time?  
> Ink: ME AND ERROR ARE GOING TO BE FRIENDS! WE FOUGHT AT FIRST AND THEN WE ACCIDENTALLY CAUSED A CAVE-IN BUT THEN I GOT HIM TO TALK TO ME WITHOUT FIGHTING AND I ACCIDENTALLY TRIGGERED HIS PHOBIA AND MADE HIM HAVE A PANIC ATTACK BUT THAT'S NOT IMPORTANT-  
> Dream: Wait. You did what?!  
> Ink:  
> InK: EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE 
> 
> Oh lord, I love writing Ink. Maybe it's because Ink is basically me with not morals but writing him is just so. much. FUN! I can't wait to show you guys all the story and character I put into him and his emotional struggles but for now, we are finally getting into the actual plot! FINALLY! Leave your guesses in the comments for who you think that Sans is about to become ;3!
> 
> But yeah, sry for the wait. I hope you guys laughed as much as I did and thank you for your kudos, bookmarks, and comments. See ya next week!
> 
> This Chapter: Breaking through perspectives
> 
> Next Chapter: Trapped in a cycle


	8. Mile_Deep_Hollow; Cognizance

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cognizance:  
> *knowledge, awareness, or notice.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow, this chapter gave me trouble, ya'll are so lucky that I even managed to get it out this week xD
> 
> Though moving on, the real plot starts! As I'm sure you noticed by the title we are getting into the grit of things now so you guys better get ready.
> 
> Origin story number one; Mile_Deep_Hollow starting now! Enjoy!

1

Ink knew that his emotions would be a problem. That they would always be a problem, no matter what he did.

Having no soul was obviously something he couldn’t fix, even if it made no sense. He was Creation! He should just be able to make himself a new one right?

Well, that’s what he thought.

Countless souls created and thrown aside did he only realize the major flaw in his attempts. 

He didn’t know what his normal, healthy self was supposed to be like.

Ink had never been mentally stable or ever known what his healthy self should be like. Every attempt at creating _his_ own soul ended up wrong, his nucleus rejected it every single time. It was so frustrating, he had everything he needed to make his soul. Yet, he still couldn’t do it.

Ink had given up on that fight a long time ago, realizing that having a nucleus would have to be enough to get him through all of eternity.

Which was fine, he still _had_ emotions. Even if he couldn’t control him, Ink still had them. So in all honesty, he didn’t really have the right to complain all that much.

And to top it all off he would always have Dream to help him out if need be.

Ink could still remember - surprisingly - the moment he saw what had happened to DreamTale while he was away. The gut-punching feeling of sadness and guilt that had hit him like a truck had been completely unexpected and unforeseen. It had caught Ink so off guard that he had straight wailed for at least an hour.

Which had also been the same length of time he had cried when Dream suddenly showed up in the Doodlesphere out of nowhere. 

The confused guardian didn’t even get a chance to fully ask who Ink was before he started balling. His happiness and excitement were so overwhelming that he had thrown up at least seven times before Dream got him to calm down.

The whole experience was still pretty hilarious to him. Dream’s face of utter panic at the fact that Ink couldn’t stop crying and puking all while hugging him and running around rambling ideas of all the things he could show him now that he was awake was a pretty entertaining picture. Ink even had written some notes down on his scarf so he would forget it!

Ever since that mess of an introduction, he and Dream had stuck together, became partners even! Even if their goals weren’t exactly the same, they still got along just fine. It was nice having someone else to share his thoughts and rambles with.

The main factor of Ink’s attachment though was the guardian’s aura. It was just so strong and warm, the gentle waves of heat calming his raging nucleus. It wasn’t as effective as he had hoped for, it honestly hadn’t been at all what he imagined but it did help.

And even if that wasn’t enough, Dream was good at helping him figure out his emotions. Whenever he was feeling something that he couldn’t figure out, the guardian was always there to help explain what emotion it was and how to handle it properly. Ink would usually forget the conversation a while later but Dream always seemed happy to explain it all to him again when he needed it.

Dream was compassionate. He had always been so and Ink believed he always would be. But Dream was also so much more than that.

He was kind and forgiving. Empathetic and altruistic. And so much more that Ink could hardly describe.

To put it simply, Dream was good. He was just good.

And Ink admired him for that. Because in a sense, Dream was everything Ink wanted to be. A hero that stood up for not only what he thought was right but for what others valued as well. Golden to their very core and someone who others could look up to.

Someone who wouldn’t be forgotten.

It had been why Ink had always chosen the light side over the dark. That despite not having a soul, he had chosen to try and be the hero. Because he had seen how universes always remembered people that had saved them. That the Gaster’s that were good had always been remembered a little bit more than the ones that were bad.

He had learned that the villains always seemed to lose in the end. And once they did, their impact on their world was lost with time.

Villains were forgotten and heroes were remembered, and Ink didn’t want to be forgotten.

But Ink wasn’t dumb, he knew that behind Dreams smile was trama that could never be fixed. He knew that the guardian’s guilt weighed down on him endlessly, even if he tried not to show it.

Because even with the fancy title and role, Dream was still a person. 

And he had made sure of it to nail that point home in Ink’s head when he had come to Dream in a sudden spur of sadness, crying about how he just wanted to be like him.

It was only then that Ink had let go of his act of “playing hero” and fully expressed himself once more. Giving in to his more dark desires of watching and creating worlds that weren’t so happy. Who knew it was so thrilling to watch universes crumble into complete _anarchy._

“Some people just want to watch the world burn,” they say? Well, looks like he’s one of those people!

It clearly wasn’t what Dream had meant when he had said, “Just be _you_ Ink. Because no matter what you do, I’ll never forget you and all that you have done.” 

But, meh. It’s not like he was going to stop now! Not when he was having the time of his life!

A universe where monsters and humans are at constant war with each other? _Yes, please!_

Dream had found out pretty quickly what Ink had been doing, completely freaking out and almost hysterical at seeing who Creation really was.

Because that’s what Ink was, Creation.

And Creation wasn’t just good, it was also the opposite.

It was misery, loss, starvation, murder, pain, guilt, and so much more. After all, a world without those traits would be a pretty boring one. And Ink didn’t like being bored.

The whole fiasco had been quite entertaining for Ink, as he had been waiting to see Dream’s reaction to his creativity. Waiting for Dream to see how awful Creation could be. 

The guardian’s fearful look as Ink had excitedly explained his motives was also something that he also had taken note of.

Was his smile really all that scary?

Okay, maybe being the villain could be a little fun.

But he was also still a hero in sense too, since Ink did create good universes after all. So if he was a villain and a hero at the same time then… What was he? Somewhere in between right? Neutral? No, that would mean he didn’t care strongly about either side. Which Ink didn’t, in a sense. It was just that he was more… _chaotic_ in the ways he didn’t care.

A chaotic neutral?

Sure, why the heck not!? That sounded pretty awesome, actually!

At the end of it all, Dream seemed to realize that factor too. Because he had surprisingly let it go. There was no huge fight or epic battle for what he stood for - _disappointedly_ \- he had just let it be.

And it had taken a decent amount of explaining for Ink to try to understand why.

Dream couldn’t stand it at first, his morality had screamed volumes at the wrongness of it all. He couldn’t stand for this, he wouldn’t stand for it. Dream had to put a stop to it, fight for the ones who had to suffer just because Ink thought it was _entertaining._

But, what would fighting do? Dream knew he wouldn’t be able to talk him out of it, and he probably wouldn’t be able to defeat Ink even if he tried.

He had too though. The thought of doing nothing made him sick. Almost even more sick than what he had seen when Dream had visited those universes. 

The blood, the dust, stars the _corpses._

It was wrong, so utterly wrong. Dream had to put an end to it.

…

Right…?

And then it had hit him.

Ink _was_ Creation. Sure he had always known that, but it never really occurred to him what true Creation was. And Ink didn’t just stand for it, no, he _was_ Creation.

And Creation didn’t favor any side of the spectrum, it was everything. It _created_ the spectrum. And that ‘it’ was Ink.

Dream couldn’t go against that, he just couldn’t. Even if it hurt him not to. All in all, if he did, then wouldn’t that make him just as bad as the people who hurt his brother?

And if that wasn’t what broke his resolve, then Ink’s sudden switch in tone and shy “I know you’re mad at me, but you still promise to never forget me right?” sure did.

In the end, Ink still didn’t really understand Dream’s reasoning, and they both knew he never would.

But that was okay, they were still partners - maybe even friends? - and they still stuck together as always.

Ink’s battle with his emotions hit a stalemate, not a bad one though. It was just on pause until he discovered something new.

And oh _boy_ , did he discover something!

There were multiple parts to the Doodlesphere, and one of those parts he called the Elliptical.

It consisted of small islands that floated in a sea of a midnight blue sky, each one standing for an AU that he had created. The islands varied in shape and what they carried on them, but each one had a flicking golden star on its surface. They were the gateway into their universe and even though Ink could just travel there with his ink, he still enjoyed using the gateways.

The stars gave each island its own golden glow, making them almost look like actual stars in a night sky.

Ink’s favorite part was that if you gazed from far enough away, the large cluster of AUs looked like an elliptical galaxy. Hence, why it was called the Elliptical.

But the islands themselves weren’t what he had found so exciting, no, it was what they _produced._

Because underneath them, buried in a small indent on the underside of each island was a small ball of churning liquid colors. And of course, Ink had let his curiosity get the best of him, tasting the liquid to try and figure out what it might be.

Emotions.

Liquid emotions.

Holy _hell._

Ink had definitely reached a new record of puking that day.

It wasn’t perfect, it would never be perfect but it was something. Some sense of control to tackle the wild nucleus that was his core.

Ink had hopped onto his discovery immediately, creating a new set of glass vials to hold each separate color and its emotion. Making sure to add teardrop shapes on the lids instead of hearts as not to get the two sets of vials confused.

Accidentally drinking from one of his heart lidded vials was something Ink wanted to avoid thank you very much!

Once collected - as slowly as they were since they were the emotions of that AU and taking all of it would kill the universe and the cores were only as big as his hand - he set in motion the adventure in trying each of them. Discovering the range of the spectrum he had available to him.

Orange was inspiration, bravery, and self - assurance, higher doses reaching recklessness and selfishness.

Green was curiosity, surprise, and suspicion, reaching paranoia.

Cyan was calm, tranquillity, and serenity, higher doses producing apathy.

Blue was sadness, sorrow, despair, and depression.

Purple was disgust, disdain, and enmity. Almost hatred in larger doses.

Magenta was awkwardness, shyness, shame, and guilt. Higher concentrations reaching self-hate.

Yellow was happiness, excitement, and euphoria.

Red was annoyance, anger, fury, and rage. Higher doses reaching blood lust.

Pink was love and black was hate. Both were _very_ potent and fast-acting.

White was an eraser. It canceled out all of his emotions - those of his nucleus as well - and was produced in very small amounts by the AUs.

Ink’s experimenting with the large spectrum he had acquired had been quite an experience, to say the least. Resulting in some very entertaining reactions from Dream and slight over-dosings at his carelessness.

But none of them had carried such a consequence than to when he first tried red.

At first, Ink had just thought that universes were self-destructing by themselves as a way to balance out with his creating. He didn’t actually realize that there was a Destroyer.

Ink didn’t know how to feel at first. He had been mostly sad overall, that someone wanted to destroy the things he loved and cared for. But on the other side of the spectrum, he had been excited.

The Destroyer was his opposite right? So maybe, he would understand.

At that notion, Ink had been ready to dive in headfirst without the added emotions at the sound of Dream’s distress call. Though, a sudden thought had caused him to pause.

If the Destroyer was anything like Nightmare, then would be the best idea to go in bare with just the plan of just talking it out? Plus since he was meant to be Ink’s opposite, then wouldn’t that mean that he would be stronger than Nightmare?

_Yikes,_ he knew that he should definitely take something.

Red had been his choice in the end. Even though Ink hadn’t tried the color yet he could guess what that emotion would be, and a small amount of anger would give him the needed adrenaline boost if a fight did break out.

So, Ink had made a pit-stop to gulp down some red he had stored before he went. Drinking one-fifth of the vial just like he had with all the other colors when he had first tried them out.

_Big_ mistake.

The amount of fury and anger that had hit him at that moment had been enough to make him choke on the color before he could even reach the one-fifth mark. The red leaking out of his mouth and down his chin.

Before Ink lost all lucidity he had tried to mask the rage with some of the other colors but it ended up only making his emotions even more unpredictable.

He had struggled to focus on the cyan and yellow in his system while approaching his other half. Making sure to create and solidifying a note at Dreams feet telling him to get the heck out of dodge if Ink lost it.

Because the burning urge to kill no matter who it was consumed his nucleus like a live flame.

And it didn’t take long for the red to fully consume him.

Ink didn’t remember much, but he did still remember attacking Dream multiple times while the guardian had been trying to heal him. 

Dream had been forced to shove some white down his throat to get him to stop struggling after he had broken the guardian’s arm in a hissing spur of rage. A couple of drops had been all it took to empty Ink completely and though he doesn’t remember it, Ink had apparently gone completely limp and unresponsive for a whole 3 minutes. If it hadn’t been for his blank look and white eyelights Dream would’ve thought he was dead.

At the end of it, Ink was not proud of the experience and the lecture he had gotten from Dream made sure he knew how much he messed up.

But Ink could fix it. Even if he and Error disagreed on the AUs doesn’t mean they couldn’t get along right? He was honestly willing to try anything to see what would get the grumpy god somewhat on his side. 

After all, maybe he wasn’t the only one who couldn’t ignore the painful tugging of their core that had forced them into this mess in the first place.

  
  


* * *

  
  


You didn’t quite know what you were doing at the moment.

The original plan had been just to run in, mess with the San a bit so that he would know not to mess with your domain again, and then run out. But now that you were here.

You were getting more… unique ideas.

In all of the millions of assets you had seen, none of them had managed to break through that wall of knowledge that kept them trapped. 

They were all trapped, even if they didn’t realize it. Limited to the world created for them and for the boundaries it set. Because why waste time creating multiple galaxies for one universe when you could just simulate them? Why code the core of the earth when you could just simulate it?

Because no human or monster would ever get that far enough in the technological tree to make it to those places. The Great Filter made sure of it.

So to see this insignificant blip on the multiversal plane that actually has the potential to break out of its universe completely.

Well… that sounded like a very entertaining and interesting possibility.

That, and also a big _‘fuck you’_ to Creation. Which was an opportunity you could say no to.

“Who are you? What are you doing here?”

“ ~~Oh, so you’re asking the questions now? I don’t think you quite realize the situation your in right now.~~ ”

You hadn’t necessarily listened to his explanation in response to your earlier question on the machine. Since you could’ve already guessed what its function was and you have mainly just wanted to scare the Sans.

Now, you honestly just wanted to push the asset further. See how far you could take this little game of yours. 

Maybe you could push him far enough to get him to want to become an outcode? Now that would hilarious. It’s not like you didn’t have any opens to exploit. There were plenty of buttons to push on this Sans when it came down to it. You just had to push them at the right time.

But first, you had to make him not terrified of you. Because in a sense, you were the only one who knew about the resets. And assets like him attached to those who could understand them like velcro.

Concurrently you were leaning on the counter on the right wall of the lab while the Sans still stuck by his machine.

He had calmed down now that you had backed off and retracted your strings. Even if he decided to teleport where would he go? There was nowhere in this universe where he could hide from you. 

You got introductions over with relatively quickly, already knowing who the asset was of course. The Sans hadn’t believed who at first, but a quick show of the Anti-Void through your portals was enough to change his mind.

“So what? You came here just to mess with me and then destroy our universe?”

You chuckled, putting on a teasing tone, “ ~~Oh don’t be so absurd Sans. I’m here to help you.~~ ”

“Bullshit.” He scowled, eyelights flashing and you moved slightly closer to his form until you were standing in front of each other.

Faking a hurt expression, you rolled your eyes. “ ~~There’s no need to be rude about it.~~ ”

“Oh please. Give me one reason why I should need help from you.”

You grinned, “ ~~You’re having a bit of a reset problem right now, aren’t you?~~ ”

His expression dropped, and you knew that you had hit your mark. Though the Sans had regained his composer quickly.

“What does that have to do with anything?”

You shoved your hands into the pockets of your trench coat, “ ~~A lot actually.~~ ” Your expression turned slightly smug and you began to circle the Sans.

“ ~~You see the resets won’t stop, we both know that. That idiotic asset won’t quit its little murder game until the universe collapses on itself. That or I just destroy it before it even gets there. The point is Sans, is that you’re stuck. Trapped in your own personal hell cycle until something changes.~~ ”

He raised an eyebrow, “Stop reciting things I already know and get to the point.”

You stopped in front of him, “ ~~What I’m saying is that I can help get you out.~~ ”

He froze, staring into your eyelight seeming to dwell over your state before he found resolve.

“Explain.” 

The Sans crossed his arms over his chest and your smile widened.

“ ~~See your universe exists within rules of code, you and every asset that exists within that code are bound to the rules of it. One of those rules being that they can’t leave. I could take you out of this universe right now but the moment you leave your code will delete itself.~~ ”

The Sans shivered slightly.

“ ~~Unless you glitch out of the code.~~ ”

You glanced back towards the machine, “ ~~That machine broke the rules of its coding, it reached somewhere it’s not supposed too. And you’re the only asset I’ve seen so far that’s broken through the rules of code. But if you really want a way out, that machine won’t help you.~~

“ ~~There are weak places in the code that can be exploited and I know how to exploit them. In short, I can get you out of this universe completely. Though you would be destroying your own universe in the process.~~ ”

You barely even got to finish your sentence.

“No.”

Shrugging, you sighed disappointingly. “ ~~What a shame. I would have enjoyed watching that.~~ ”

The Sans sputtered, throwing his hands up in exasperation. “So that's what this is all about? Trying to get me to destroy my own universe!”

“ ~~That and other things.~~ ” You mused.

“Like?”

You stared directly into his eyelights, “ ~~I want to see how far I can go with something like this. I mostly view assets as irrelevant and I had never considered one having the ability to break out of its code. The discovery is interesting to me, and I’m not going to let go of the chance at being entertained.~~ ”

The Sans turned back around to his machine with an annoyed expression. The sounds of metal on metal rose as he continued working without sparing you a second thought.

“Well, you should.” He mused, “Because I not going to let myself be someone else’s toy.”

You chuckled a bit, “ ~~Heh, it’s a bit too late for that now.~~

~~“You already are.~~ ”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dream: Ink  
> Ink: Yeah?  
> Dream: Why must you make things so difficult for me.  
> Ink: Umm, I'm sorry? Sort of?
> 
> Oh boy, here we go folks. Looks like Error has finally found something to entertain him, goodie! Honestly, though he doesn't care about the Sans being an outcode, he just wants to see if he can get a sans to destroy his own universe. Which is honestly pretty iconic to him.  
> But anyway, we finally got to see a little bit of what Ink had been doing before he met Error. Which honestly is a mess in it of its self but hey, it's Ink? What can I say?  
> Also Dreamy boi! Poor Dream honestly, the fact that he still remained friends (??) with Ink after that fiasco that's some guts. He hasn't forgiven him, but he still respects and cares for him. Dream is honestly the most wholesome character in this fic so far. 
> 
> Moving on tho, sry for being late twice in a row, I'll try to fix that! Hope you enjoyed it and see you later! Ty for comments, hits, bookmarks, and kudos!
> 
> This Chapter: Cycle break
> 
> Next Chapter: Follow and chase


	9. Mile_Deep_Hollow; Paramountcy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Paramountcy:  
> *the state or fact of being of greater importance than anything else.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ho boy this chapter was a ride. Half of the story literally changed mid-chapter because I realized how out it wouldn't fit so and so's character. But it's all good now! We back on track! But I do have some warnings to put out before we start.
> 
> So, I want to say that Emotional Disconnect is a very real thing and it's something that can sneak up on you until it smacks you in the face. It is a very real problem that I feel nobody talks about. Even so, I just wanted to put a warning out there that it is a BIG subject in this chapter so if you're sensitive to that then please exercise caution.
> 
> But yeah that's basically it, so uh, enjoy the chap!

2 

“Don’t you have “godly duties” to take care of or something?”

You shuffled in your seat, leaning back on one of the two office chairs that the Sans had in his basement lab. Feet propped up on the counter, you messed with your strings, not bothering to look up at the question.

The Sans didn’t look up from his work either, idly writing notes and cracking equations in a small notebook. The spread he was on currently a mess of words and complicated numbers that you didn’t bother trying to understand even though you could do so easily.

After that first meeting, you had taken to visiting this copy often, leisurely watching the Sans work and the universe develop. It was a nice change of pace, something different from what you had been doing for the past epoch or so. Even with the others getting involved, you still occasionally got bored.

This wasn’t the first time you had taken to messing with an asset. A long time ago you had taken to pestering a Chara in another UnderTale copy. Using the code to become invisible to everyone else but her, watching as she slowly convinced herself that she was going insane.

It was fun while it lasted, but as they say, “all good things must come to an end”. Your presence had messed with the script and you ended up having to destroy that copy. 

That was a time that you were glad for your damaged soul. Even though you had laughed with the Chara once or twice, you still had the privilege of not feeling a thing when you slaughtered everything she ever cared about.

Emotional connections were pointless. They would just make everything harder, gain consequences.

The less you cared, the less it would affect you.

That’s why you weren’t particularly worried about repeating the experience again, you wouldn’t be able to get attached to the assent in question. 

And maybe you would be able to get a more interesting outcome than last time.

The Sans stopped writing to look at you when you didn’t respond, his chair rolling on the ground to match his movements.

He raised an eyebrow, and you rolled your eyelights before speaking, “ ~~Now what “godly duties” could you imagine me doing besides destroying pathetic copies like yours?~~ ”

The Sans shrugged, “Oh, I don’t know, anything other than sitting here? Why would you want to be involved with this universe anyway? Don’t you have things to oversee or something?”

You let out a barked laugh, “ ~~‘Oversee?’ Ha! Now that’s a funny joke. I hardly oversee anything that happens in the multiverse. And when I do, I only watch universes for my own amusement.~~ ”

He put his pencil down and fully turned the chair to face you, giving you a questioning look.

“Wouldn’t you have more responsibility over how things run as a god? Or at least care?”

You snorted, “ ~~The only thing I’m responsible for is destruction. Overwise I don’t care what happens to the multiverse as long as it doesn’t get too overcrowded. Why would you think otherwise?~~ ”

Shrugging, the Sans focused back on his work, idly responding as his pencil resumed its movements across the paper. “Just been thinking about some things. Everyone always talks of gods as these legendary beings that watch over everything. At least, those who believe in gods. There are some other iterations that I’ve heard in passing, but none of them described gods like you. Just surprised really.”

You hummed, tone becoming more annoyed as you continued on. “ ~~Everyone always thinks that. Those stupid “religions” don’t know anything. All those stories of how “holy” and “great” we are supposed to be. All those needlessly dramatic interpretations of how we came to be. Tch, pathetic.~~ ”

You paused, scowling at the loop of strings that stretched between your fingers.

“ ~~We were born into nothing and from nothing.~~ ~~_That’s it._ ~~ ~~I don’t see why those stupid assents have the need to make it so meaningful.~~ ”

The Sans didn’t speak right away, seeming to mull over your words. “Maybe so they can look up to someone who struggled in ways that are important to them.”

“ ~~Still don’t get it.~~ ” There was a sharp edge to your words, pronouncing on the bitterness that welled up in your throat. 

“Well, wouldn't you want someone to look up to? Y’know, help guide you through life and whatnot.”

You laughed bitterly at the notion, “ ~~Why would I want that? It’s not like there would ever be anyone to “help guide me” through anything anyway. So why bother imagining it?~~ ”

Your voice turned seething, and the strings snapped in your hands. “ ~~And even if there was someone up there, It’s not like they answered any of my questions. So why even bother at the notion.~~ ”

You huffed, pulling more strings from your eyes to mess with as the anger simmered down to apathy once more. Fingers idly moving as you pushed your bitterness to the back of your mind.

“Sounds like karma to me.”

You looked over silently at the suggestion, “ ~~And why would that be it?~~ ”

His voice carried some of the same bitterness that you had held before. Although it was muted and weak, like the leftover ashes from a long-dead fire.

“It’s not like you or your counterpart answered any of our questions or calls either.”

Ah, this again. That Chara had asked the same thing when you had told her that you were a god. Even after all these years, your answer would still remain the same. Voice just as muted and dull from when you responded to her.

“ ~~I think your misunderstanding what being a god truly means. I am destruction just like that inkstain is creation. Nothing more or nothing less. We hardly care about what happens to the assets in an AU, only the AU it’s self really matters. The only reason I even do my duties is because of my stupid soul. So don’t pretend that your calls even reach us, because we were never listening for them anyway.~~ ”

The Sans turned his head to look at you once again, expression thoughtful. “The way you speak of it makes it seem like you don’t want to be one.”

You chuckled at the notion, “ ~~You act as if I’m some forced god or something.~~ ”

“Well, it sure seems like it.”

You didn’t grace that comment with an answer.

  
  


* * *

  
  


“Shut up! Just stop talking!”

“ ~~You know it’s true, asset.~~ ”

Multiple resets had gone by, the Frisk not letting up on their genocide runs just as you had predicted. Each run the Sans had taken to hiding in his lab away from everyone as they were slaughtered up above.

Your presence must have capitalized on the little social need that the Sans had, his care on what was happening around him lessened.

His care for his brother lessened.

“ ~~He isn’t real.~~ ” You let your smile stretch wide, “ ~~It’s all just programmed code.~~ ”

The Sans stood frantic in the middle of the lab, sweating and shaking as you poked and prodded at the inner workings of his mind.

“I don’t care if he is just code! He’s real.”

You tilted your head, “ ~~Then why have you stopped caring?~~ ”

His hands fisted, “I haven’t! I just-”

“ ~~Oh, you do? There is a genocide run going on right now. Why aren’t you up there?~~ ” Your tone was casual, though it didn’t mask the hint of amusement in your voice.

“I don’t want to have to watch him die again!”

You raised an eyebrow, “ ~~Then why don’t you save him?~~ ”

He looked away, teeth grinding together. “Because it won’t matter in the end, he always dies no matter what I do!”

“ ~~Then,~~ ” You paused slightly, “ ~~why should you care?~~ ”

The Sans stopped in his tracks, whatever rebuttal he had dying in an instant. You could see the gears turning in his head.

“ ~~If the outcome is always the same, then why try at all. If your actions won’t matter, then why care?~~ ”

You walked closer as his expression grew more and more troubled. The Sans finally seeming to realize how far he had fallen.

“ ~~Besides, it’s not like he’s a real person anyway.~~ ”

Your words snapped him out of his thoughts, the Sans bristling at the phrase being used once more. “He _is_ real. He’s my brother, he has to be!”

“ ~~Is that really the argument you’re going with? Just because he’s your brother doesn’t make him real.~~ ”

His head whipped up at you, enraged. “Then what aspect makes him not!”

You chuckled, “ ~~You don’t get it, do you? Think of it this way, every asset in this copy remembers nothing of the resets. They do the same exact things over and over again, and they will continue to do so for however long this timeline last. They are coded to be that way, your brother was coded to be that way.~~

“ ~~You, on the other hand, are not. Your code is left up to your own thoughts and actions. Your future hasn’t been decided. You’re the only asset here who wasn’t imagined down to every single line.~~ ”

Feeling slightly giddy, you laughed at the Sans’s horrified face. The realization that his brother was made to continuously die over and over dawning on him.

“ ~~And isn’t that the definition of real? An~~ ~~actually existing thing or fact, one not imagined or supposed.~~ ”

You circled behind the frozen Sans, leaning down you whispered to where his ears would be.

“ ~~Wouldn’t that mean that you’re the only real one here?~~ ”

He didn’t respond, still frozen in shock as the reality of his world dawned on him. You chuckled at his reaction, opening a portal, leaving without another word.

  
  


* * *

  
  


More resets had gone by, and the change in the Sans’ behavior since your talk had become more noticeable as time went on. His focus had fully been shifted to the machine, more than before. 

He didn’t talk, eat, or even take breaks to sleep. Seemly just trying to fix it for the sole purpose of distracting himself from everything else. Even after you told him that his Gaster had been programmed to stay dead. He had only paused for a moment at your comment before continuing. 

It was an interesting change for sure. Even though you were looking forward to the moment he snapped.

At the moment you were adjusting your code in the copy, making it so that you would only be visible to the Sans and not any other assets you may encounter. Not only would it be great for your own amusement but it would also reinforce the fact that he was the only real asset here.

Which you weren’t technically lying about. Creation had coded this universe mostly down to the point that everything was predictable except the Sans. Probably wanting to see how much he could take before truly losing his mind. Though the Creator’s attention had gotten focused on other things as he had eventually forgotten about this copy. It had ever so slowly attracted yours.

With so many possible ways to bend an outcome to your liking, how could you not intervene?

Eventually, the Sans when up to make another cup of coffee in an effort of staying awake. At first, you didn’t follow, simply watching as he climbed the stairs out of the lab. Waiting idly for a moment, you opened a portal to the kitchen, walking through as the Sans stared at you questioningly.

You have yet to have ventured beyond the copy’s lab as it had been the only interesting thing in this dull universe. 

Now though, you wanted to test your little theory.

There was a comfortable silence as the Sans waited for the coffee to brew, the both of you leaning against the counter. Idly staring off at nothing, you both started at the sound of a door slamming open and footsteps thundering down a set of stairs.

The Sans’ eye sockets widen and his eyelights shrank down to pinpricks. You knew exactly what was going through his head. 

He had forgotten his brother even existed after multiple runs of trying to block everything out.

The Papyrus had been borderline screaming over his brother’s condition and disappearance. Fretting over every scuff on his white lab coat, every eye bag, every scratched phalange.

It was honestly entertaining to watch, even if all the yelling made your fist clench in the pockets of your trench coat.

The Papyrus continued to hold the Sans tightly, his worried yelling not hesitating for a second. Even with all the noise and physical contact, he didn’t seem to even realize the fact his brother was even there.

No, what he seemed focused on, was the fact that the skeleton had seemly walked through you to get to him. Not even acknowledging your presence in the slightest.

His baffled and frozen expression was one that you took pleasure in enjoying.

  
  


* * *

  
  


It had been a while since you had last came by, and the change in the Sans’ sanity had seemed to have taken a turn for the worst.

Or the best as you saw it.

The Sans had resumed fighting the Frisk again, only this time it took place outside the Ruin’s doors.

You watched from the sidelines, leaning up against a tree as they fought on. The Sans using his bones and blasters as the reset asset came at him with their knife. No matter how many times he killed them, they just reloaded. It was the programmed response after all.

You could tell after however long of this that he was getting annoyed at the lack of change. The constant reloading grating at his already fragile sanity. Nonetheless, the battle had been mostly the same every time.

Every programmed step and slash holding true to its coding. You watched idly as the Sans’ frustration melted down to the oh so familiar boredom that you knew all too well.

It was comical really.

The Sans hadn’t understood why you would be interested in messing with his universe out of boredom. As if the sheer idea of toying with someone’s life was appalling to him.

But now he was doing the exact same thing to the reset asset. Trying to get a different reaction out of them, trying to get them to do something interesting or new.

Playing with a toy that didn’t do anything interesting wasn’t exactly fun.

Eventually, the Sans stopped trying altogether, teleporting away and back down to his lab after another reload. 

You followed using a portal and walking through the other end to find the Sans kneeling on the tiled floor. His eye sockets were half-lidded, mouth forming a thin line as he sat there in silence.

Standing over him, your mind wandered to what Nightmare would do if he saw what you were doing right now. Though before you could further expand on that thought, another crossed your mind just as quickly.

Where the hell was Nightmare?

You hadn’t seen the guardian in a while, how long that while was you didn’t know but you knew it had been a decent amount of time.

Long enough to be slightly concerned at least.

That octopus used to always follow you around on your destructive sprees, pestering you with his presence and walking around like he owned the place. For him to seemingly just disappear was more than odd.

In between your visits to this copy you had still been destroying universes, most of the time the Creator being the one to annoy you during your duties. The only time you had been grateful for his rambling was when he had asked if you had seen Nightmare anywhere.

This meant that Creation didn’t know what he was up to either.

Fantastic.

Whatever it was that the guardian was planing you certainly didn’t want to be apart of it. 

You just hoped that he had been busy with his brother this whole time and not left to his up to his own devices. Stars help you if he wasn’t.

Shaking yourself out of your thoughts, you looked down at the Sans again. Slightly surprised to see that he hadn’t even moved one bit, seemingly as lost in his own head as you were moments ago.

Tilting your head, you raised an eyebrow, “ ~~You know, if you keep moving forward like this nothing is going to change.~~ ”

His eyelights didn’t move, but his brows furrowed slightly.

“ ~~If you're looking for a different result, you might want to try something more… drastic.~~ ”

The Sans’ face once again filled with emotion, a pondering look filled his face as he stared hard at the ground below him.

You didn’t try to guess what he was thinking, doing so would only ruin the surprise. Even so, you couldn’t help but think of the possibilities.

Only once had you seen a Sans do something so drastic to try and change something, but to go nowhere. That Sans had no way to escape his cycle and in the end, the code still became corrupted.

But now, this Sans had a way out. You knew how to get him out of the boundaries that his world had set for him. The only reason for his hesitance being was that he had still been thinking in the terms of his universe and not of the bigger picture.

Now you were getting closer to that reality, and the aspect of getting an asset to willingly destroy its own universe became more and more exhilarating to you.

It was only a matter of time.

  
  


* * *

  
  


You couldn’t believe what was happening. You couldn’t believe it.

Was he actually going to do it?

You stood slightly behind the Papyrus as he tried to get his brother to respond. Speaking in soft, quiet tones that you didn’t care to listen to. Because even if you bothered to, it’s not like he would say anything different. Even in a different scenario, the words were the same. They would always be the same.

The Sans stood silently in the living room facing his brother, silver kitchen knife in hand. His expression was still as dead as it had been the last time you had visited.

Eye sockets half-lidded as he stared at his brother, though he didn’t seem to be paying any more attention than you were to what was being said.

Bones rattling, the Papyrus crept forward slowly, making careful movements toward his brother.

For a solid moment, you thought that the Sans had backed out. As he didn’t make any aggressive or proactive moves towards his brother.

That was until the Papyrus uttered that classic line that even you had heard enough times to be more than annoyed by, did he move.

Before you could even blink, the Papyrus was dust.

And throughout it all, the Sans’ expression didn’t change. Still apathetic and dull as it had been before.

Holy shit.

You had expected it, yes, but you didn’t expect it to happen so fast. You almost missed it! You still could barely believe that he had actually done it.

Creation would be so jealous if he knew.

Snorting, you walked to the Sans’ side, watching as he stared at his reflection on the knife. Expression still unchanging and dull as he idly thumbed the blade, dust flaking off and falling onto the pile that rested on the floor.

You stared down at the dust in thought, “ ~~Going back to our talk on those stupid religions and gods. I can’t help but think of how this reminds me of one of those stories I found in all my digging out of boredom.~~ ”

He said nothing, though you didn’t expect him to. “ ~~There’s this story of two brothers, Cain and… Abel, I think? Doesn’t really matter what the other’s name was. Cain killed him for some reason, didn’t really care to remember why but it’s an interesting parallel to our situation isn’t it?~~ ”

In truth, you were getting tired of calling him Sans. There were hundreds of him with the same name and it was honestly annoying to call them all the same thing. It’s the reason Core had changed their name in the first place.

Besides, the similarities were quite ironic. 

“ ~~So, Cain. What’s next?~~ ”

Cain’s brows furrowed, eyelights searching around the room as if the wall somehow would hold the answer to his internal dilemma. 

There was a long stretch of silent thinking before he turned to you, resolve showing clear through his eyelights. “You said that you know how to exploit the code of this world yes?”

“ ~~Yep.~~ ”

“And that doing so would glitch me out of this universe’s code, correct?”

“ ~~That is one of the ways to become an outcode if you wish to do so.~~ ”

Cain stared deep into your eyelights, the stern hardness in his expression being one that could rival yours.

“Teach me how to become an outcode.”

You grinned, “ ~~I never thought you’d ask.~~ ”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Error: Guess what?  
> Ink: What!  
> Error: I got to see a Sans kill their Papyrus.  
> Ink: OMG SERIOUSLY?!  
> Error: Yep.  
> Ink: Awww man! I can't believe I missed that!  
> Error: Sucks to be you, idiot.
> 
> Well then... that was a thing that happened. Ummm yay? New outcode character coming in hot! Honestly, I hope I was able to write the fail of sainty right in this chapter because writing that stuff is really hard. Now that we are over that hurdle, it should be smooth sailing from here! Peace!  
> Thank you for all your kudos, bookmarks, comments, and hits!
> 
> This Chapter: The importance of it all
> 
> Next Chapter: The bigger picture.


	10. Mile_Deep_Hollow; Alteration

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alteration:  
> *the action or process of altering or being altered.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ho boy, with this chapter I can now say that I understand a fraction of quantum mechanics and for that, I feel 60% more accomplished than anything else I have ever down in my life. I will smack anyone who states otherwise. Let me feel accomplished damn it!
> 
> Nothing really special to say here. Hope ya'll had a happy holidays!  
> Enjoy the chap!

3 

Despite knowing so much about the process you had never actually gotten to witness an asset becoming an outcode. Not even realizing it was a possibility until Core had just appeared in the Anti-Void demanding to know why you were destroying AUs.

That had been a pretty entertaining conversation, that was until you realized that you couldn’t kill them.

Which had been frustrating beyond all belief. Mostly because the outcode had decided to follow you across the multiverse until you could give an answer that would satisfy it. Determined little thing, that asset.

More or less you had gotten curious as to how the Frisk had escaped its universe’s code so unknowingly. The further you dug, the more interesting were the results that you uncovered.

You and Creation were outcodes by default. Being born without a world, both of you had been cast aside from the beginning. Epsilon outcodes, or at least that’s the name you had given to whatever you were.

God never sounded right. Having seen what gods were supposed to be like, the status just left you feeling… disappointed. Even if it was the easiest way to label what you were.

Destruction was more fitting, though the more you thought of it. It just left a sour taste in your mouth.

Epsilon just felt less irritating, like you had some form of control over what you were.

Besides, you had been extremely bored back then. So finding out different ways that assets could use to escape their universes and naming them was a good way to pass the time.

During that process, it had hit you that those guardians were outcodes as well. Omicron outcodes to be specific. The thought had never truly occurred to you when all of that drama in DreamTale went down. Even so, the fact that they had been able to escape their code by their own sheer will and power was interesting, to say the least.

You hadn’t looked into it too much, as Creation had made them naturally strong from the beginning to help with his emotions. So the chance of that happening again were slim to none.

No, what you were more interested in was the ones that could exploit the lines in between their world’s coding.

Gamma, Prime, and Delta. 

The three routes an asset could take to becoming an outcode. And for Cain, you wanted to try for Gamma.

It was the one you were most sure about since Core was a Gamma outcode too, so you knew it would work. And destroy his universe in the process, which was an added bonus that you very much so welcomed.

From what you had gathered, Gamma outcodes were assets manage to fall and glitch through the core of their world. Once they were in the Void, would have to continue falling until they reached the Anti-Void and fully glitched out. In doing this, their universe would self-destruct to prevent any further corruption but the asset who has fallen out would remain unaffected.

They were unkillable, and their HP would fluctuate between full and non-existent continuously. The instability of their health points caused all of their magic to be centered around healing, resulting in constant fatigue and loss of most magical abilities.

And from what you had observed from Core they don’t use portals to travel between universes. Just disappearing and reappearing where and when they wanted. 

Despite its simplicity, the outcome of such a route was seemingly more intriguing than the other two. Besides, you couldn’t help but wonder how a Sans would cope with being robbed of the magic.

The only problem now being how to put the process into action.

“So you’re telling me, that I’d have to overload The Core and fall in it while it’s overloading to glitch out?” 

You were both standing in the living room and his brother’s dust still sat in a pile with no wind to blow it away. Cain still wore the same white lab coat from before, the baby blue weather underneath carrying a false sense of innocence considering the dusty knife that lay at his feet.

" ~~What are you deaf? That’s exactly what I’ve been stating for the past 5 minutes~~.”

Currently, you were trying to explain how glitching out of the universe in this manner would work. It wasn’t going too well considering it was hard to explain universally matters to a linear being.

“No, I heard you quite clearly actually. Just trying to understand how this would work and not kill me in the process.”

Though not as expressive as before your last couple visits, Cain’s look of apathy had evolved into a more serious look. It was surely interesting how much he has changed over the course of your visits. Even if that seriousness made his mentality more on level with yours.

Pinching the bridge of your nose, you let out a glitchy sigh, the other hand in the pocket of your trench coat clenching idly as you thought.

Cain huffed, “Don’t act like I’m a baby bones just because I don’t quite get things beyond my understanding. There should at least be a scientifical way to explain half of the things you stated to be possible.”

Well…

There was an idea.

Your hand lowered, “ ~~Do you know what information is?~~ ” 

You weren’t an expert in this subject, far from it in fact. Even if the parallels between universal coding and quantum mechanics were plentiful. The boundaries between the laws that information had set its self and knowledge of those boundaries were one of the things you had looked into.

Cain raised an eyebrow, “What do you mean information? The property of the arrangement of particles; information?”

“ ~~Yes, exactly that. The way atoms are arranged together to create something, order them in a specific way and you get silver, a different way you get coal. Good?~~ ”

Eyesockets widening, Cain stared at you for a moment before his stoicism took hold once more. “I already know this. What does information have to do with-”

“ ~~Your Core is like an Ergosphere, a region where space-time is basically half-broken. It creates a weakness in the graphical plane which in turn creates a weakness in universal coding.~~ ”

You paused for a moment. The knowledge of this factor was basic to you, just as it was to Creation, though you knew it would be a hard concept to grasp for an asset like Cain. And you did not want to have to explain this all again.

Surprisingly though, he seemed to be taking it rather well.

“I’m following, you can keep going.”

You nodded, “ ~~Going even deeper, the Void is essentially an Event Horizon, where space and time are completely broken. Therefore in the Void, nothing is anywhere and anything is nowhere. Even deeper and completely opposite is the Anti-Void, where everything is everywhere and so on.~~ ”

“Okay, I can get that but what does that have to do with information?”

“ ~~Information states how things are different from each other and what used to be what. But what the Ergosphere and the Event Horizon do is the complete opposite; they take different things and make them the same. They destroy information.~~ ”

…

“I’m sorry, they do _what?!”_

You almost snorted, was that really all too hard to grasp?

Gesturing wildly, Cain stared at with slightly shaking eyelights. “That doesn’t make any sense. Information is indestructible. It’s a fundamental law of physics that information can’t be lost or destroyed. Without information everything is relative.”

“ ~~You are correct.~~ ”

“Well then-” Cain paused for a moment, before stepping closer towards you. “You can’t just throw out a property that goes against literally every fundamental law of physics and expect me to understand that, It’s completely absurd.”

You grinned a bit, “ ~~And self-contradictory, I know. Though when investigated or explained further, it could be proven to be found true.~~ ”

Cain froze, “A paradox…”

“ ~~A statement or proposition that, despite sound reasoning from acceptable leads to a conclusion that seems senseless, logically unacceptable, or self-contradictory.~~

“ ~~Or to be more specific in terms of coding, a glitch.~~ ”

Cain seemed to think on the revelation for a moment before giving you a deadpanned glare. “Do you just study definitions of certain words in your free time?”

You snorted, “ ~~You tend to learn a few things when messing around with coding~~.”

He just huffed, “So, what does overloading The Core have to do with any of this?”

“ ~~It increases the size and effectiveness of the Ergosphere which in turn creates a greater chance of glitching out. The more energy you put in, the more you get out of it~~.”

Cain rubbed his forehead, “Which would also create an implosion that would shallow most if not all of the information in the universe. Correct?”

“ ~~Correct.~~ ”

…

“Alright, fine. I still have my doubts that this will work since we’re relying on a paradox as reassurance, but sure.”

_“ ~~You’re~~ _ ~~relying on a paradox as reassurance. I already know this will work.~~ ” You corrected.

“Right, right.” Sighing, Cain turned and sat heavily on the couch. He leaned back and shoved his hands in the pockets of his lab coat, eyelights idly staring off into the distance.

You shouldn’t push your luck but, “ ~~I’m still surprised you’re actually going through with this.~~ ”

Cain turned to look at you, expression suddenly showing more exhaustion than before. “I’m tired of being stuck in a trap. Even before I realized that none of this mattered, I was still trapped. No matter how the people around me or the actions I took make it seem like this... simulation was somewhat close to reality. Still, those delusions could never cover up the fact there were still bars and boundaries keeping me in.”

You went to sit down yourself, “ ~~Understandable.~~ ”

“I doubt that.” Cain huffed, voice bitter and expression slightly pinched.

Blinking, you gave him a questioning look. Though, you didn’t have to wait long for his explanation.

“I don’t believe for a second that you understand what it’s like to be trapped like this.”

You took a moment to fully digest what he had said before breaking down in a fit of laughter, pinching the bridge of your nose with your index and middle finger.

“ ~~Wow. Oh wow. You really don’t get it, do you?~~ ”

You didn’t give him a chance to answer. “ ~~We all have our own private traps, Cain. I am just as much as trapped as you are. My chains may be longer and lighter than yours but there still there. The only reason it looks as if I have all the freedom in the multiverse is because I act like I don’t mind it.~~

“ ~~You want freedom? Then lie to yourself enough so that eventually you think you have that freedom, even if it’s all an illusion.~~ ”

Cain closed his eye sockets for a moment, “If that’s the case, then what’s the point in escaping this.”

You snorted, “ ~~There’s no point in anything if you look deep enough. The reason for existing is finding something to exist for, as stupid and sappy as that sounds.~~ ”

...

“Discovery.”

“ ~~What?~~ ” That was not the response you were expecting.

Cain’s eyesockets opened, and his eyelights refocusing on you. “Just from that paradox you described it can assume that there is a numerous amount of subjects unexplained by science out there. Might as well look into them.

“Besides, the Information Paradox would be an interesting thing to look into.”

You snorted, “ ~~Of course you would choose science to be your motivation to live. Not planning on saving others from resets?~~ ”

Cain laughed, “Do I look like a hero to you? Besides, convincing them to want to become an outcode seems like a pointless endeavor when there are other things that I could be doing worthwhile.”

“ ~~Don’t feel any guilt towards your poor brother?~~ ” You pushed, mainly for your own curiosity.

“No, not at all actually.” He stared at the palm that once held the knife but didn’t pause in his reasoning. “It’s strange honestly. I cared for him almost all of my life, yet even when he has been killed by my hands I feel… indifferent. Almost apathetic. I know I should care but I just don’t.”

You shrugged, “ ~~Tends to happen when you come to understand the bigger picture of how things work.~~ ”

“My brother was the entire picture.”

“ ~~He~~ ~~_was._ ~~ ~~Now he is simply a single number in the equation.~~ ”

“A single number can change the entire outcome of an equation.”

“ ~~Exactly.~~ ”

Cain raised an eyebrow and your answer before looking away. “No matter how deep I go into this hollow I don’t think I’ll ever be able to fully understand your view on these types of things.”

You huffed, sinking deeper into the surprisingly comfortable couch. “ ~~You already understand it, you just don’t realize it.~~ ”

Cain hummed idly, hands returning to their homes in his pockets.

“Back on track, how would you even be able to overload The Core enough to create a clear window.”

“ ~~Simple, just toss some Determination in it.~~ ”

“I- what!?”

You snorted, “ ~~Determination contains almost bottomless wells of energy, so much that your pathetic little asset bodies can’t handle it. A vial or two of that into The Core is more than enough for what you would need to glitch out.~~ ”

“That sounds like an awful idea.”

You scoffed at the notion. “ ~~It only sounds awful because you perceive it to be.~~ ”

Cain rolled his eyelights, about to answer when the ringtone of a phone echoed through the house.

There was a strange pause and Cain hesitated, seemingly contemplating if answering the device was worth it or not. You certainly weren’t answering it, just the image of listening to one of those stupid assets talk made you want to put your face in your hands.

Eventually, Cain got up and moved into the kitchen, returning with the screaming device and putting it up to the sides of his skull.

“It’s Sans, Undyne.”

Distorted mumbling was all you heard, though you could already tell where this conversation was going. Therefore, you weren’t to keen on putting in any effort to listen to what was being-

“He’s dead.”

Oh, nevermind then.

“I killed him.”

Well then.

It took all of your will not to break down in wheezing laughter on the spot, though it didn’t stop a snort from escaping you.

“Something funny?”

You focused your attention back on Cain, idly noticing the phone now resting in his lap.

“ ~~You serious just hung up? After that?~~ ”

Cain shrugged, face blank. “Not like she’d have anything worthwhile to say. Though... I think I do understand it now.”

You hummed, standing up and opening a small window to the True Lab. Reaching a hand through, you opened the fridge that contained the vials of Determination. Being sure to grab all three, you closed the portal, not bother to shut the fridge.

Shoving the vials in your pocket you opened another, larger portal to The Core and turned to look at Cain. “ ~~Well, unless you want to have to wait till the next reset we better get moving. I don’t exactly know how fast Undyne runs in this copy.~~ ”

The said skeleton stood up with a huff, examining the portal slightly before moving next to you.

“I still don’t quite get it, why are you doing this again?”

You let out a quiet laugh, “ ~~Why not?~~ ”

You stepped through the portal, Cain following after you with a shrug.

  
  


* * *

  
  


You were both standing in one of the hallways that encircled the room that held The Core, a churning ball of plasma dyed mostly white with the occasional wave of purple every so often.

Each hallway that encircled the room severed as a sort of viewing gallery, besides the main control room, anyone in the facility could view the energy source from here.

“I assume you have a plausible way to throw those vials into there without falling in before.”

“ ~~Yep~~.”

Creating a portal - now that you can actually see where you’re opening a window too - directly above the churning ball, you open another to the floor of your Anti-Void right before it. Stepping onto the makeshift platform, you beckoned for Cain to follow, making sure to add more surface area to your platform so it would fit both of you.

Cain stepped on without hesitation, taking the vials from where your strings and fisting them tightly.

Onlookers pointed and shouted but neither of you paid any attention to them as you stared at the sphere of plasma beneath you.

Cain held his arm out over the edge, the vials hovering above their destination. His lab coat rippled from the waves of energy that radiated off, though his look of indifference didn’t share the same enthusiasm as his clothes.

Three deep breaths, then four.

You raised an eyebrow, “ ~~Well?~~ ”

The tight grip on the vials went lax, and you both watched as they hit The Core. 

Waves of light exploded off from their source, space-time rippled, as the atoms that made it up started to forget what made them what they were. It didn’t affect you, though you knew it was affecting Cain from the wince that worked its way onto his face.

You didn’t have to prob further, watching with a grin as the skeleton dropped into The Core.

Screams from the assets present echoed over the overloading mass and you lingered a little bit longer to watch them scramble like ants before opening a portal and stepping into the Anti-Void.

You didn’t exactly know how long the process would take, as the Void had no sense of time, neither the Anti-Void for that matter, it just didn’t affect you.

Though it wasn’t to say the silence was nice and needed break, you still weren’t used to all that talking. Taking the time to adjust your coding from what you had done in the copy.

Not too long after you felt a distortion in your domain, and just where the failed gateway had been, a wheezing mass of white squares glitched into existence.

You watched leisurely as the glitches lessened, and Cain’s heavy breathing slowed, moving from his crouched position on the floor once the glitches had fully disappeared. His once baby blue sweather having turned a dull grey, along with his dark blue pants turning black with it. 

Cain stared at both his hands, seeming to consider something before sending an irritated glared your way while shoving his hands in his pockets.

You stared back at the now grayscaled being, matching their glare with your own. “ ~~What?~~ ”

“Any reason why you failed to mention that this procedure would fuck up my eyesight?”

You rolled your eyelights, “ ~~Wow, not even a thank you.~~ ”

_“I can’t see!”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Cain: So what you're saying...  
> Cain: Is that we've made a literally universally bomb for energy and none of us noticed or thought to look into it.  
> Error: Yep.  
> Cain:  
> Cain: How are we even still alive.  
> Error: THAT'S WHAT I'VE BEEN SAYING! ALL OF YOU ARE IDIOTS! 
> 
> Well then um, surprise? I mean the hints were kinda there from the start, I think one of you actually guessed right so congrats to that person! But yeah, anyway I hope you guys are enjoying the side plot chapters as much as the main ones. They are essential to character development and I can say with confidence that the next two will be a lot more action-packed and emotional heavy. (Ya'll remember that kid at the end of chapter 6? Yeah he's one of them :3)
> 
> I may or may not see you guys next week because of finals (yes my school decided to do them after winter break. Why? I have no clue, shoot me) but if I do then see you then! Peace!
> 
> This Chapter: A fall through static
> 
> Next Chapter: Exploration of possibilities


	11. Mile_Deep_Hollow; Vexation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Vexation:  
> *the state of being annoyed, frustrated, or worried.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So as you can see, I didn't get to writing a chapter last weekend. But I did get to writing a story outline finally! And guys... holy crap. I am not joking you when I'm saying that Part 1 will most likely be about 60-70 chapters long. Part one might actually be the most intense part of this fic with just how much emotion, blood, and heartbreak I've put into it. I hope you all are ready because I don't even know if I am xD
> 
> Enjoy the chap!

4

Cain didn’t know exactly what universe he was in right now, but the fact that he could see the sun, sky, and stars here was an obvious hint that this one had it better off than his universe. He would have been bitter if it wasn’t such a waste of time and energy. Emotions like that made him feel tired just by thinking about them. Even though he was a little irritated at Error right now.

The god had simply thrown him aside minutes after he had appeared in the Anti-Void. Like all of his interest in Cain or his situation had been lost the second Error had completed his goal.

Like solving a Rubik’s cube.

Sure, the challenge and process of solving it would be entertaining. Watching the colors turn and fall into place at the expense of your time and patience. 

But once it was solved? The satisfaction of everything coming together and completing a goal would only last so long. And what was there to do after it was done, stare at it? 

That or… take it apart and start the process all over again. Cain wouldn’t be lying if he said he appreciated Error choosing the former option. Even if his end satisfaction hadn’t lasted longer than eight minutes.

Cain supposes he couldn’t exactly blame Error for that, as he had essentially done the same thing to his brother. No, he had other reasons to be annoyed at him.

The destroyer‘s crypticness and overall wording had made it very difficult to fully understand what he had gotten himself into. Sure Cain was smart enough to pick apart his words but there was always bound to be something that would slip past him.

Like the problem he’s facing right now.

Sure, Error had explained most of what being a Gamma outcode entailed but he hadn’t explained that glitching out could have its unknown side effects.

It made sense from a logical standpoint, and if Error had explained it like a normal person then it would have been easier to catch on.

But no, instead, the glitched skeleton had directed the conversation away from that point and distracted him with loopholes in the laws of physics. It had been a clever move, Cain had to admit it, even if it made him want to punch Error for it.

Overall he should be more thankful, impaired eyesight was not the worse thing that could have happened. With an infinite range of possibilities, he was pretty lucky to only be stuck with this one.

Even if it was irritating.

So, off to find glasses he was then.

Cain had waited until night time, around 1 am to start his search for an eyeglasses store meant for monsters. Stealing the glasses wouldn’t be a problem, he could simply just teleport in and out with ease. 

No, where the problem lied, was in actually getting the right pair of lenses that fit his prescription. Which he wouldn’t know, since there wouldn’t be any workers there to help him and he couldn’t take that route since he didn’t have any money.

While Cain could steal money, the act of actually going through the prescription process and having to communicate with some bland asset for however long it took did not seem appealing in the slightest either.

Call him petty, or just downright lazy. Dealing with that was something he wanted to avoid.

It was odd in a sense, how much he had come to understand Error’s perspective of the plane they existed on. What he was standing on were millions of asset’s - no, people’s world. Though to Cain, it was just a simple place to grab one minuscule item and leave.

The god had been right, the more you understand the bigger picture of things the less you come to care about its smaller details.

The thought was more fascinating than frightening, which was honestly a more scary thought in of its self. That is if Cain could bring it upon himself to care.

This was who he was now. And even if he couldn’t recognize it, there was no going back to before. He didn’t want to go back to the before.

Moving forward seemed more appealing than it had ever been in a long time.

Once he found the stored he was looking for, Cain took his time shifting through pair after pair until finally finding ones that somewhat worked.

Sighing in relief and slight frustration, he debated on taking the glasses and leaving or to keep screeching for ones that worked perfectly. The ones he had on weren’t  _ too _ bad, his vision was still partly blurry but at least he could see the different segments of his fingers.

No, it would be better to just look for ones that would fit his eyesight perfectly. Having glasses that fit him would just be more beneficial in the long run.

Keeping the pair he had on for now, Cain resumed his sifting, mind going on autopilot as he made his way around the store.

“Well, isn’t this interesting.”

Cain flinched slightly, head swiveling towards the source of the voice. He didn’t have to look for too long to guess who it was. The black stain on his check, oversized paintbrush strapped to his back, and oddly uniformed clothes.

_ “ ~~...just like that~~ _ ~~**_inkstain_ ** _...” _ ~~

Creation stared at him with an almost cookie-cutter smile, his teeth weren’t showing but the curved line on his face practically screamed creepy. His eye sockets looked normal but at the same time, they looked wide, not enough to put an emotion on but certainly enough to give off warning bells.

“You’re not supposed to be here.”

Cain raised an eyebrow, “In what sense?”

The other skeleton’s eye sockets widened further in a weird, unnatural look of surprise, his eyelights sparking with barely contented excitement and curiosity.

There was a sudden flash of movement, Cain didn’t have time to process anything before an ink enhanced clawed hand was through his ribcage and spine, the clawed tips surely poking through the back of his lab coat.

He blinked, eyes sockets moving from there lidded, apathetic positions to widen slightly at the sudden change in atmosphere. 

Creations face was nothing short of what you would expect Destruction’s to look like. Expressions posed in a demonic grin, his eye sockets were as empty and black as the inside of his smile. Two sharp upper canines were the only things visible, and a black liquid leaked from with his mouth and eye sockets.

Cain waited for pain to override shock but it never came, was this what Error had meant by a Gamma’s weirdly glitched immortality?

To both his and Creation’s further perplexion, a white fog stroked in black began to leak from his chest. It twisted gently around him, the white gently flashing its glow like some kind of warning.

The ink-stained skeleton pulled back, demonic look lost as he stared at the fog pulling back towards Cain’s damaged chest cavity. Rather quickly his spine reforms, then his ribcage, and lastly the holes in his clothes as the fog is absorbed into his being.

Cain blinks again, gaping at the display of one of his many new abilities while feeling around the newly restored bone and clothes. Still, there was no pain.

He’d have to do some testing with this later.

Cain’s gaze shifted up to look at the Creator with a deadpanned glare, eye socket twitching slightly at the other’s expression. 

He was holding a hand tightly over his mouth, black liquid leaking from in between the gaps of his fingers and staining his glove. His eyelights, one a yellow star and the other a green exclamation mark, were both vibrating in their sockets. In fact, his entire form seemed to be vibrating.

Raising both eyebrows, Cain to a cautionary step back. “Um. Are you going to-?”

_ “OH MY STARS!!!” _

Black liquid sputtered out with each word as the Creator failed to contain his outburst and Cain cringed at the volume. Watching as the other skeleton bounced up and down on his toes with his hands fisted in front of him.

“Oh my stars! Oh my  _ stars!! _ You’re an outcode!!”

Cain leaned slightly away, holding his arms close to himself as to not get any of the liquid on him. “Yeah…?”

His answer, unfortunately, didn’t calm the bouncing skeleton down. Only seeming to rile up the skeleton even more. 

“I can’t believe it! A new outcode! Aw man, I’ve been waiting so long for this to happen! This is  _ so cool! _ And you’re immortal just like Core too! Well I mean, if you  _ weren’t _ immortal then you wouldn’t be an outcode, but  _ still!”  _ Seemingly not being able to bounce in place, Creation took to circling him and gesturing wildly to no one in particular.

Cain huffed, “Okay I get it, very exciting and all that. But could you please-”

“This outfits pretty cool too!” In which Creation proceeded to poke and prod at his clothes, all while he continued to rant. “I mean this whole sciency thing fits your look well! Oh and your all grayscale too! You really are a lot like Core!”

Cain snatched the ends of his lab coat back from the Creator’s hands “Yes, now could you please-”

Although the other skeleton was deterred in the slightest. “Oh man  _ oh man! _ Your a Sans from one of those UnderTale copies right?! I can’t wait to tell Error about this, he’s gonna be so mad when he finds out that  _ “one of those dirty assets got away” _ hehe!  _ This is so exciting! _ I- oh wait, hold on! I think I’m gonna puke-”

He had just enough time to jump back before a waterfall of black poured out of the god’s mouth and onto the floor. Watching in annoyance as the skeleton wiped off his mouth with one of the tail ends of his scarf, Cain fought with himself on the idea of taking a sample of the substance to study.

“Are you done now?”

The Creator busted himself with playing with his fingers looking anywhere but at Cain. “Yeah, I’m done. Sorry for erm, almost puking on you.”

Cain rolled his eyes, “Sure whatever, just. Why the hell did you stab me?”

The god brightened at the question, placing his hand on his hips. “So I could see if you were an outcode or not! If you survived, then yes! And if you died, then no! Which you didn’t die so… no harm no foul?”

Cain just stared, ”And if I was an outcode that wasn’t immortal?”

Creation blinked, “Oh. Well um, oops?”

“Stars…” He pinched the bridge of his nose, suddenly feeling ready to take an eight-hour nap. “The fact that I am still failing to understand pieces of yours and Error’s logic is incredible.”

The int-stained skeleton blinked, one eyelight turning into a pink heart. “Awww, glad you think so pal!”

He blinked again, and then was suddenly right back in Cains’s face. “Wait…  _ YOU KNOW ERROR?!” _

Cain cringed, shoving a hand in the Creators face to push him back, “Please back up. And, don’t puke again.” 

He laughed playfully, batting away Cains’s hand lightly. “I’ll try my best! But seriously! You’ve met Error?  _ And _ your soul is still, y’know, in you? There’s  _ got _ to be a story behind that!” The god poked his chest slightly before Cain swatted it away.

“Not a particularly interesting one. He just found it… entertaining, to influence me into becoming an outcode.”

Liquid dribbled from Creations mouth, Cain backed away preemptively in case the other was to puke again. Thankfully, which wasn’t the case.

“WUT!?” Still, the amount that was leaking up his throat prevented a clear pronunciation of the Creator’s words. “ERROR’S BEEN CHEATING ON MEH!  _ SINCE WEN?! _ ”

“Uhh…” Cain didn’t exactly know to respond to such a question.

Even so, the lack of one didn’t seem to deter the other skeleton as be begun to pace back and forth. “How coulb he?! I can’t believe him!!” Creation threw his hands up in the air for a moment before pausing.

“Wait… If he influenced you does that mean that you just left everything behind!? How did he even manage that?”

Cain shrugged, “I was tired of everything repeating. The only reason I resisted at first was because I thought that I cared for my brother. Until I sort of snapped and killed him.”

That seemed to throw the other over the edge, once more spilling black liquid all over the floor.

“What is it with you and puking-”

_ “YOU DIB?! _ AND ERROR DIBN’T CALL MEH OVER TO SEE IT!?! _ I MISSED IT!” _ The god had no trouble gurgling past the darkness that was bubbling up his throat. Once again beginning to pace in stuttering circles. “I can’t believe him! Ooooo the next time I see that grumpy pants!”

“While you’re at it, give him a good smack for me too. And make sure it hurts.”

The Creator blinked, as he had just remembered that Cain existed before tilting his head and snorting. “Sure pal? I mean, I’m not against it. Just, why??”

“Well,” Cain scowled slightly, “a certain skeleton decided not to tell me that glitching out would have certain unpredictable side effects. Like impaired eyesight.”

The god brightened immediately, once again jumping within Cain’s personal space. “Oh really! I can help you with that! Here, hold still!”

Cain put his hands up, “I’d prefer if you’d tell me-” Nope, too late.

_ “Would you quit doing that!” _

He didn’t get a chance to move before the skeleton in his face removed the glasses he had on before slicing a blade made from that same black liquid over his right eye socket. There was no pain of course, but the feeling wasn’t exactly a pleasant one. As expected, the white and black fog drifted from the “wound”, though this time it was only a small puff.

The Creator ignored him in favor of pulling out a small empty vial and catching the cloud before it could return to his form. Once the fog had been secured, only then did the god make eye contact. 

“Okay, so this is gonna feel pretty uncomfortable.”

Cain huffed, “Should I even try resisting?” 

Creation smiled, chuckling slightly and seeming way too peppy for whatever was about to take place. “Nope!”

He could just teleport away, but he did really need those glasses. The limitations of the ones he had on before they were ripped off of him had been already starting to annoy him.

Fuck it, “Just get it over with.”

“Yay!!” 

Oh stars help him…

Wasting no time whatsoever, the god thrust his hand into Cain’s skull and fisted his eyelight before pulling it out and cupping the ball of light gently. Cain shook his skull a couple of times, it certainly hadn’t been the best feeling in the world to have his eyelight removed - he didn’t even realize that had been possible - but it’s not like he had a say in the matter.

After studying the white orb carefully, Creation brought out the vial of fog and opened the lid. Working quickly, he pulled out a small brush from his stash belt and put the bristles up to his tongue, catching a decent amount of leftover ink - was that what that liquid was?- from his puking earlier. With practiced movements, the Creator painted on the escaping fog, the two substances mixing and bending with his brush until a fully solidified pair of glasses rested in his grip.

Cain could help but be fascinated by the showcase in magic. Sure this was the literal embodiment of creation that he was standing before and painting a pair of glasses was probably nothing compared to the god’s unusual work. But it still didn’t fail to draw his curiosity.

“Welp, here you go pal!” Creation handed him his eyelight, and Cain gently placed the orb back in its proper place, shuddering slightly at the feeling.

Grabbing the glasses, Cain placed them on his skull almost flinching at the sheer improvement. They had not only fixed his vision but slightly enhanced it as well.

“Holy-”

“Yeah, pretty good huh?” Creation crossed his arms, looking quite proud of himself. “The reason I used part of your essence to make it so the glasses would actually become part of your form. So if they break or something they’ll reform just like your chest did earlier! Also, they’ll just stay attached to your skull easier, can’t have them falling off all the time!”

Cain pointed to his right eye socket, “And this?” A black line traveled down from above and cut off by his eye socket. The scar then resuming its path starting at the bottom lid and down his cheek.

The god giggled, “What! Scars add a ton of personality! And I think that one looks pretty good on you!”

“You know what they also add? Trama and mental scaring.”

“Which in turn adds personality. So your point is…?”

Cain rubbed a hand under his glasses and over his eye sockets, “Stars your morality confuses me…”

Creation barked a laugh, flicking his forehead. “Ha! Like your one to talk mister!”

Well, he couldn’t deny that the god had a point. Removing his hand, Cain rolled his eyelights. “Whatever.”

Chuckling, the Creator held out his hand. “Before I forget and am forced to listen to one of Dream’s lectures again, I’m Ink! You do have a name I can call you besides “Sans” right?

Huffing slightly, he shook the other’s hand. “Cain.”

Ink let go while raising an eyebrow and putting a hand up to his chin in thought. “Cain? That’s an odd one! Not too bad! Though I was thinking of something more… hmm, original!”

“Like?” Cain probed

“Hmm, how about… Sci!”

“...Seriously? Aren’t you supposed to be the God of Creation?”

“Hey! Don’t judge! Just because I’m Creation doesn’t mean I’m creative all the time! Give me a break!”

“I think I’ll just stick to Cain.”

_ “Awwww. _ I like Sci better though!”

  
  


* * *

  
  


You hated this, stars you hated this. Couldn’t you just do your job without being interrupted? Was that too much to ask?

“ ~~Leave me the fuck alone Ink!~~ ”

_ “NEVER!!” _

You were both currently in a SwapFell AU in Waterfall, which was as far as you had made it until Ink decided to interrupt you. The idiot had the same stupid dopey grin on his face as always when you had your battles. As the other always seemed so excited to see you, even if you were destroying a copy that Ink was actually fond of.

You just didn’t get it. And that was part of what made situations like these so frustrating to you.

Ink laughed as he dodged another mass of strings shot his way. “Aww come on Error, please! I really like this one!”

You smirked from your place in the air as you hung from your strings. “ ~~Well maybe. That’s why I’m trying to~~ ~~_ destroy it!” _ ~~

_ “HOW DARE YOU!” _

You almost laughed at Ink’s offended look, throwing more bones and watching as moved past them in an attempt to get a clear shot at you.

“Get down from there right this second! I need to smack you with my brush and it’s really hard for me to do that if you’re up there!”

The hell? “ ~~Fuck no!~~ ”

Ink dodged another set of strings, looking up at you with a pleading expression.  _ “Please Glitchy?  _ For me?”

You snorted, “ ~~When have I ever done anything for you.~~ ”

He froze for a second before laughing at himself, “Okay that’s a good point, but STILL!”

Sighing irritability, you finally moved from your spot in order to get a clean shot on the artist. As he had put up a large inky shield to block all of your possible angles. You could already tell that this was going to be a long fight.

Even if you didn’t win, you’d at least get to do some damage on that pestering inkstain.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dream: You stabbed him!?  
> Ink: Yep!  
> Dream: WHY?  
> Ink: Why not? :3  
> Dream: WHAT DO YOU MEAN "WHY NOT"!?  
> Ink: Why are you yelling?  
> Dream: BECAUSE YOU STABBED SOMEONE!  
> Ink: AND?  
> Dream: INK!!
> 
>   
> THERE YOU GO PEOPLE! Haha, I thought it was so clear who Cain was in the last chapter but apparently, I was wrong xD. It's not your guy's fault, I just forget sometimes how vague my foreshadowing can be. But anyway origin story number one is done! Hooray!  
> Ink, holy shit Ink my boi. You can't just stab people to see if their outcodes... there's this thing called asking. You should try it sometimes. Some official artwork of Cain has now been posted on the Datalog if you want to check that out!
> 
> Also got some exciting news! I'm opening a discord server! There's a lot of extra stuff that I don't really want to be in the Datalog so things like that will be posted in there! Hope to see you all there --> https://discord.gg/auKXX3UseR
> 
> This Chapter: New routes
> 
> Next Chapter: Expanding dynamics


	12. Incongruous

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Incongruous:  
> *not in harmony or keeping with the surroundings or other aspects of something.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> IM NOT DEAD!! Jesus this chapter did not want to be written. I apologize for the long break, it wasn't exactly planned, as I'm sure you can tell. I'll try to make sure it doesn't happen again!
> 
> If you missed it, I had updated the Datalog during that period of time with the original, deleted storyline for this fic. As well as explaining what I had originally planned for this fic, it also includes some leaks about the next two origin stories and the roles of Error, Ink, Dream, and Nightmare. Don't get too excited, the hints are extremely vague but they are there nonetheless. So if you want to check that out feel free to do so!
> 
> Without further a due, onto the chapter!

The both of you have been fighting for at least five hours.

You had clearly underestimated Ink’s words when he had stated that this AU was one of his favorites. Merely thinking that he didn’t like it enough to insist everlasting conflict with you on the survival of it. Though it had become very clear in the last couple of hours that you were wrong.

Ink had meant it when he said that he liked this universe.

It technically wasn’t that big of a problem, if Ink was going to fight you for it to the point of the battle lasting for a needlessly long time then you could just back down and destroy a different universe. The only problem on that matter was that your pride didn’t exactly accept the option of just _backing down._

You could envision the stupid smug and victorious expression on his face and that was not something you wanted to witness outside of your imagination.

So, you didn’t give up and leave. You kept fighting in this pointless battle because _damn it,_ you’ve been fighting for this long already might as well commit to it.

At the same time, the both of you had been starting to get more aggressive ever since the three-hour mark.

Most of the fights that you had been forced into against Ink when destroying AU’s only lasted around two hours give or take. The frequency of them had turned the battles more casual, almost sparing in a way. Injuries were still gained but less fatal, and winning those fights never amounted to anything serious.

It was like there was a silent code for those duels, and the two of you followed them in a sort of dance over the universe in question. 

It was odd, more than odd considering that a universe existence was on the line… and Ink never seemed to care all too much.

Sure he had his “favorites”, and there were times where he certainly fought harder for the AU in question. Yet most of the time he seemed to enjoy the battle and bickering more than the chance of victory itself.

He would laugh and smile and smirk almost the entire time, throwing out random taunts or remarks just to grate at your temper. It was as annoying as it was irritating, but it also made you a little confused.

Shouldn’t he care more about his creations? Shouldn’t he look at you with disgust and disdain instead of excitement and elation?

And if he didn’t care as much as you thought he did- _then why the fuck was he fighting so hard now!?_

_“ ~~Voiddamnit Ink!~~ _ ~~Would you give it up already! It’s just a stupid copy!~~ ”

_“No, it’s not!_ Go destroy a different one, I know you have the option too!”

The cavern was littered with splatters of paint and pieces of string and bone, some of its walls cracked, which most of the echo flowers trampled. Ink had taken a quick moment earlier to block off the entrance with a wall of paint, preventing anyone else from stumbling onto the battlefield and getting themselves killed.

You landed on the ground roughly, the crack in your femur grinding and shoved more blood from out of you and onto the stony ground. Huffing, you gripped your strings tighter and flung them at the opposing artist.

Instead of the usual grin, Ink scowled at the attack, jumping right and immediately launching himself at you again. His brush posed upward, and purple gathered on the tips of its fibers.

You moved out of the brush’s range, grabbing Ink’s arm with strings and throwing him forward, past you and into the cavern wall. He managed to twist in mid-air, saving his skull but not his spine and there was a strangled wheeze as all the breath was knocked out of Ink’s chest.

Shakely, he managed to force himself back onto his feet when a sound rang out. A familiar sound.

Ink looked up, and his eyelights flashed with lavender.

You knew this was a bad idea, but the look on Ink’s face was priceless.

The blaster over your shoulder whirred in preparation and Ink’s hand tightened around his brush- no, not his brush, air. He looked down to where his brush _should_ have been and then at your feet.

Where he had dropped it when you had sent the artist into the cavern wall.

Ink’s expression was the definition of “oh no”.

“Error _WAIT-!”_ Too late, you fired.

Ink dove, though it wasn’t him getting scorched by the beam that he was worried about. As soon as he was in the clear, Ink watched as the beam connected with the wall and you scowled in annoyance at the miss.

And then the cavern shook.

You both stumbled, Ink almost falling as he had been moving to his feet and your blaster dismissed itself as you focused on not falling flat on your face. Ink raised an arm over his head as small rocks began to fall, gaze locking onto yours with annoyance.

_“Seriously!?!_ Are you crazy?!”

“ ~~No! I’m completely sane if you haven’t noticed!~~ ” You fired back, sarcasm practically dripping from between your teeth.

Ink rolled his eyes, “I thought we agreed on cave-ins being off limits! Remember what happened last time?”

“ ~~You agreed to that, I didn’t! I was too busy hyperventilating because someone~~ _~~fucking touched me!~~ ” _

“It was an accident!”

“ ~~How do you~~ ~~_accidentally_ ~~ ~~grab someone and drag them through one of your disgusting portals?~~ ”

Ink was about to respond when the shaking slowed to a stop, you both watched the ceiling for a moment, waiting for another rock to fall. When nothing happened, Ink stomped his way over to you to retrieve his brush.

Usually, you never played the game of “keep away” with the artist’s brush because of how many different things Ink could pull out of his pelvis while using it. It kept the battle interesting, it made it somewhat bearable to endure even if you were forced into it. If you were going to fight him, you could at least make sure to keep it somewhat interesting.

Now, this had gone on for too long. You knew that with both your and Ink’s stubbornness and stamina that this could go on for days if you didn’t try something different.

Shaking his head a little, Ink had the gall to look offended, “Well _excuse me_ for not automatically knowing that you have haphephobia!!”

You only narrowed your eye sockets at the remark, not bothering to grace it with a verbal response. Shifting, you lifted one foot and placed it on top of the brush.

Ink stopped in his tracks. “Error… what are you doing?”

You were both at a standstill, and Ink’s eyelights were homed in on his brush.

Your voice was cold and monotone, “ ~~Y’know Ink, I’ve come to notice how you carry this thing around.~~ ”

Ink stilled, “Error.” His voice was as hard and cold as yours but you could hear the hint of fear it gave off. You added more pressure to the foot that was on the brush, and the dots of lavender in Ink’s eye sockets shrink.

You felt a laugh tickle at the back of your throat. “ ~~How dearly you hold it close. How tightly you grip it in battle.~~ ” You added more pressure.

_“_ _Error.”_

“ ~~You act like this thing is chained to your very person.~~ ” You pause, giving time for the scatterbrain to fully process your words. “ ~~It makes me wonder…~~ ”

_“_ **_Destruction._ ** _”_

Ink was seething. If not evident by his rigid posture and the way his shaking hands were fisted at his sides. Then by his hissing speech and use of your title. It almost caught you off guard, as Ink had only called you by your title once, and it had been in a far more somber tone.

Lavender dots flickered in between crimson, and it wasn’t hard to see that the artist was holding himself back from blinding bolting to retrieve his lost possession. 

Ink’s eyelights flickered up and you met them with a smugness that could rival Nightmare’s. “ ~~... if that connection is more~~ ~~_literal_ ~~ ~~than metaphorical.~~ ”

You added more pressure and the wood splintered.

Ink gasped.

Though it wasn’t one of shock or surprise. It was of pain.

The artist stumbled back, before leaning forward and curling in on himself. Arms retreating to the protection of his chest, Ink squeezed his eyesockets shut, and his teeth clenched together as ink dripped from in between the gaps.

You blinked, not quite expecting that reaction. Your guess had been made on a long shot, and by seeing the amount of pain that Ink was in just from a small splinter in the wood. Well… it made you wonder the amount he’d be in if you broke the thing.

Looking down at the brush, you could see the same darkness that dripped from Ink’s teeth leak out from the crack in the wood. It almost looked as if the weapon was bleeding.

_“_ **_ERROR._ ** _”_

Your head snapped up, and for just a millisecond. Every bone in your body went rigid.

Ink’s form towered above, posed in mid-leap as one arm was raised above his head. His mouth a thin, straight line, and his eye sockets, one which lacked its eyelight while the other carried a single, fuzzy crimson pinpoint, were wide and dark. The arm that was raised above the scarfed skeleton’s head was covered in ink from the wrist down. Though, instead of the normal hand, the ink had formed a large scythe-like blade.

You jumped back, feeling the wind of the swing pass in front of your face and grimacing at the twinge your femur gave from the sudden movement.

The blade embedded itself in stone and the cavern quaked. Ink ignored the fact that he had been inches away from impaling his brush to focus on you. One single crimson eyelight locking on to your mismatched ones.

His mouth was still a flat line and his eye sockets still wide and unfeeling but it didn’t take a genius to know what the other was feeling.

Ink was pissed.

You pulled new strings from your eyes, cursing at the free shot the artist had almost managed to land on you. As you hadn’t been expecting him to recover so quickly, thinking that there was much more pain being applied than being shown. Clearly, you had been wrong.

_“_ _You shouldn’t have done that.”_ Ink’s voice was monotone, but there was a seething edge to it that sent a spark of excitement down your spine.

“ ~~I beg to differ.~~ ” Was your only reply before Ink lunged again, completely dismissing his brush.

Your strings cut through the blade of ink easily at each given opening, though Ink just kept reforming the hand-made scythe like nothing. Till both hands now carried their own blade.

The cavern hadn’t stopped shaking, and you both didn’t realize it until a slab from the ceiling fell in between the both of you, crushing your strings and the ends of Ink’s blades.

You both looked at the slab in confusion before stilling.

The battle in the field…

The storm.

Ink froze, expecting you to do the same. Not having any time to react when you didn’t

Taking the opportunity, you slipped a couple of strings around Ink’s left foot and, in one smooth motion, flung him against the cavern wall.

This time, Ink did not get a chance to turn in the air.

The back of his skull made contact with a sharp point on the rocky wall, **_hard_ **, and a sickening crack echoed through the cave. Ink’s body slumped on the ground on his side, limbs lose and ragdoll as he laid still. 

Immediately the shaking stopped as if someone had just hit a stop button on the strange phenomenon.

You didn’t pay much attention to it, the only thing that concerned you was the still body that laid a ways away from you. And Ink had landed on his side facing away from you, so you couldn’t see his face. 

Watching, you waited to hear a groan of pain or see his fingers twitch in an attempt to reorient his limbs. But there was nothing.

You blinked, stance relaxing slightly and looking behind you to where Ink has closed off the entrance to the cavern. Sure enough, the ink wall was nothing but a puddle of dark liquid on the floor.

Turning back, and seeing that Ink hadn’t at all moved in the slightest. You moved your strings from his ankle to his waist, being sure to trap his arms within the binds as well. Throughout the short process, Ink still didn’t react.

Slowly, you began to retract your strings, dragging Ink’s limp body across the cavern to you. 

Once close enough, you peered down at the god’s face. His eyes were closed, face lax, and his mouth was slightly parted open with a trickle of inky blood leaking from within.

Just to be sure, you leaned down, squatting on your toes, and summoned a bone nudging his shoulder with the pointed end. Nothing.

You moved your strings from around the skeleton to hang limply at your side.

Ink was out cold.

The back of his skull had been completely shattered by the impact and at the middle, there was a small but decent sized hole where it had caved in. Ink leaked from the cracks, creating a pool underneath his head and your eyes followed the smeared trail to the pool created from where Ink had landed.

You winced, that looked like it hurt a fuck ton. 

It also looked like Ink had lost consciousness on impact.

In short, you had won. You were victorious.

…

You blinked. Now what?

This had never happened before, the closest instance you could think of being the day you both met. Which ended in a draw.

But now, there was been a clear winner. 

Ink was helpless right now. There was nothing he could do to stop you from doing anything. To stop you from getting rid of him... _killing_ him.

…

You blinked again. That is what you wanted right? 

Confusion came over you in droves and you stared at the limp body beneath you as if seeing how helpless Ink was would convince you to just end it right here and now.

But instead, all it did was make you feel more uncertain.

The sharp bone in your hand found its way at the base of Ink’s skull, where it connected to the vertebrae that made up his neck. One quick movement and his skull would come clean off.

You willed your hand to move, to make the final blow but all you succeeded in doing was pressing down harder. Grinding your teeth together, you gripped the bone harder, watching as the tip dug itself between skull and vertebrae.

Ink’s finger twitched and a sound came from his mouth that you didn’t even think was possible.

A pitiful whimper, so quiet that you could’ve missed it, even though the sound seemed to echo through your entire being.

Immediately the bone dismisses itself, seemly without your say or permission. Its sudden departure leaving you off balance and you end up sitting with your knees tucked under your pelvis.

The noise repeats in your skull and you find yourself almost not believing that it came from. But no, it certainly came from Ink. And the way his pained face moved back into its lax position only strengthened that confirmation. 

You found yourself staring at Ink’s face for a long time.

“ ~~Fuck.~~ ”

This wasn’t happening, there was no way this was happening. It wasn’t possible, your soul was too damaged for it.

_" ~~Fuck.~~ ” _

You shouldn’t be able to develop emotional connections with anyone.

Yet… the longer you sat there, trying to form another bone or even a blaster as the magic refused to form. It dawned on you. That somehow, in some way, you had become attached to Ink.

_Voiddamnit._

Standing up and rubbing a hand down your face, you sighed long and loud. If you _apparently_ couldn’t kill Ink right now then there was no sense in staying here. Your soul was still tugging and you couldn’t exactly destroy the universe with Ink in it so you either needed to dump him somewhere else or pick another AU.

Stars, this was so stupid.

**“Well, would you look at that? We finally have ourselves a winner.”**

…

_Fucking seriously?!_

You whipped around, your soul flaring beyond its muted sheen, your eyelights flashed as they locked with Nightmare’s. Practically snarling as your teeth ground together.

_" ~~What the fuck do you want guardian?~~ ” _The words were harsh, but it felt good to release some of the sudden, built up emotion in your throat.

Nightmare blinked, grin as smug and sharp as always. **“My, my what an angry expression. Such a wonderful mask to all that confusion bottled up within.”**

You chose to ignore that comment as the guardian stepped closer, a tentacle reaching behind you and slipping underneath Ink’s skull. With an off-putting gentleness, Nightmare used the tentacle to caress Ink’s cheek, the artist's head limply going along with its movements.

You almost shivered in disgust. The thought of that being done to you unknowingly made you want to puke, and the way Nightmare’s smile widened increased that urge ten-fold.

**“Y’know, even though he is unconscious. I can still feel the amount of pain that injury is causing him. It’s excruciating, like that of white-hot, burning agony.”** Nightmare took a deep breath from his mouth, like he could somehow taste Ink’s suffering. **“Ah, you have really outdone yourself Error.”**

He turned back to look at you, the tentacle on Ink’s cheek not ceasing its movements. **“Now, I won’t beat around the bush, since we both know how little patience you hold at this point in time.”** He paused, single eyelight slipping down to Ink’s limp form in what you could only describe as excitement.

**“Why don’t you let me take this little pest off your hands? You have had your fun, correct? Don’t you think it’s time to share for a little while?”**

The first thing that came to your mind, was that wasn’t a suggestion. Nightmare wasn’t _asking_ for your permission, he was ordering. And for that reason alone you wanted to tell the octopus to fuck off.

The second thing that came to your mind… was how another part of you wanted to say no for an entirely different reason.

You knew Nightmare wasn’t going to kill Ink, he wanted to torture him. Ink was one durable and stubborn monster, it would be one hell of a joy ride for the guardian into finding ways to slowly break the artist piece by piece.

And something about that… just didn’t sit right with you.

You didn’t dwell on it though, right now was not the time to think about weird emotions, especially when Nightmare was right in front of you. Right now, all you knew, was that the thought of someone besides you playing with _your_ enemy left a bad taste in your mouth.

“ ~~No.~~ ”

Nightmare blinked, and the tentacle stilled on Ink’s cheek. **_“What.”_ **

That wasn’t a voice of question or surprise, it was a warning. Still, you didn’t change your mind. “ ~~I said, no.~~ ”

The guardian stared at you for a long time, until the tentacle continued its caressing, though more aggressively than before, and his eyelight narrowed. **“Are you… trying to** **_protect_ ** **him?”**

You scoffed at the notion and to further support your point, summoned a bone and swung it into Ink’s side.

Out of the corner of your eye, you saw as his body jerked at the sudden intrusion. Ink’s unconsciousness tearing through all the walls he had built and allowing free show of pain.

The display didn’t affect you, but the loud whimper that slipped from Ink’s teeth did. _Stars_ you hated that sound, you don’t fully understand why but you hated that sound.

Nightmares grin twitched up at the visible show of pain but it quickly turned into a scowl as his focus drifted back to you. **“If not, then what’s the harm in sharing?”**

You grinned, “ ~~You know very well Nightmare, that I don’t like being ordered around. And for that reason, you want a chew toy, you can find one yourself.~~ ”

There was a moment where nothing happened, though the rising tightness in the air gave away any calm or stillness from the quiet.

**“You mean to tell me…”** Nightmare spoke slowly, as if he couldn’t believe what he had just heard. **“That you’re denying me over some simple,** **_childish,_ ** **pet peeve?”**

“ ~~If you wish to see it that way, then yes. I am.~~ ”

Nightmare hissed loudly, mouth locked in a jagged scowl, and the tentacle stopped stroking Ink’s cheek to inturn snake itself around his neck. It didn’t move, just gripping the god’s neck tightly.

In a single motion, you sent the limp strings at your sides around Nightmares tentacle, wrapping around the offending object and tightening until the strings sliced through it completely. 

The guardian screeched in outrage, as what remained of the tentacle and the other three whipped violently. 

You stepped forward, closer to the raging Nightmare. “ ~~Stand down guardian. I’m only warning you once.~~ _~~Leave.~~ ” _

The tendrils sharpened their points, and he all but hissed at you. **“Give me the Creator, Error!”**

You growled, the glitch in your voice producing a truly threatening sound that went unbothered by Nightmare’s increasing anger. You smirked back at him, “I ~~n your dreams.~~ ”

The remark only seemed to piss him off more, and two of his tentacles shot down towards you. Lodging themselves in the ground when you stepped out of the way.

**“Fine, we’ll just have to do this the hard way then now won’t we?”** Only then did his grin come back, the thrill of a fight seeming to work its way through his system.

Internally you groaned, the displeasure and sour taste in your mouth at the thought of Nightmare getting what he wants being the only thing that kept you from just leaving the scene altogether.

“ ~~The hard way it is.~~ ”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Error:  
> Error:  
> Error:  
> Ink: *exist*  
> Error: VOID FUCKING DAMN-
> 
> Ahh Error, you dense man child. I'm warning you guys now, it gets better before it gets worse. Also, look! Nightmares come out to say hi!! Aren't we all so glad to see him? In all honestly, he has been pretty busy and I'm sure that you can tell that whatever he has been up to has made him a lot more ballsy when it comes to fucking with Error. On another note, I wonder why Ink was so adamant on saving that AU? Hmmmmmmmmmm, mysteries, mysteries!
> 
> In all seriousness, the next two chapters are gonna be a fricking ride man. I am so hyped! Finally get some Dream action ;3
> 
> Also question, how do you guys feel about a romantic relationship in here? It won't be Error and Ink, or anything way out of left field like Dream and Ink or Nightmare and Killer. I've just been thinking a lot about Cross's character arc and... welp. It fits really well ;p. We got a while though before then, so if your unsure don't worry, we got time!
> 
> See you next chapter! (Or maybe... in part 3 of Electricity?)
> 
> This Chapter: Inhamonic battles
> 
> Next Chapter: A golden discord
> 
> Keep on the lookout for "Cobalt Toxicity" ;3.


	13. Maelstrom

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Maelstrom:  
> *a situation or state of confused movement or violent turmoil.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hoo boy, you guys are in for it with this chapter. 
> 
> It's not a long one but It may as well be the most intense one I've written so far. Enjoy ;3!

Ink’s entire world hurt.

It was as if nothing else existed except the pain that swarmed him. He couldn’t see, hear, or even think. Everything was just pain.

He couldn’t even feel himself breathe.

It could have been 3 seconds, it could have been an eternity. But eventually, everything slipped away.

  
  
  


The next time Ink came to, the pain had lessened. Not as much as he would have liked, but it was enough to form simple thoughts.

What happened?

Robbed of his sight and hearing, the god focused on what he could feel besides the pounding pain. Which was when he was finally able to identify the source of his agony. There was something lodged in the side of his ribcage, and with every breath, he could feel the object grind against the frayed ends of his broken ribs. Still, it was nothing compared to the hammering in his skull.

With every pulse, it felt as if his thoughts were being shattered. Torn apart only to be brought together with the same instinctual conclusion.

_-My skull hurts.-_

Sluggishly, Ink tried to focus on moving his body, but his limbs felt numb and heavy. It was another worry to add onto the pile, but at least he could tell that he in fact, still had all of his limbs with him.

Ink sucked in a shaky breath, trying to ground himself-

Another pulse.

_-My skull hurts.-_

His eyelids twitched, and Ink struggled to pull his thoughts together, away from the darkness that was calling him.

He needed to figure out what had happened, where he was, anything to reinforced his will to stay awake.

The god focused all his attention on trying to move his limbs, but they all felt numb and heavy. Like his marrow had turned to stone, determined to make him drown, pull him closer to the bottom of whatever pit he had fallen in.

All his stubbornness was bound to pay off at some point, as Ink faintly realized that he couldn’t feel the ground or any other surface against his limp bones and there was something tight wraped around his middle. Was he hanging off the ground?

Did Error have something-

Another pulse.

_-My skull hurts.-_

Ink’s thoughts rearranged themselves in his head as he struggled to recall what had happened.

His limbs felt all but numb, and their heaviness pulled him down like his marrow had been turned to solid stone. Determined to make him drown, fall deeper into the darkness.

The god dully recalled that he had to fight this pull-

Another pulse

_-My skull hurts.-_

Ink felt so unbelievably heavy, like there was stone in his marrow only content to pull him down. He could barely feel his limbs, the numbness creeping up his bones. The chill made him want to curl up against Dreams side and never leave.

Was he having another episode? Was his nucleus about to give up on him like it had so many times before?

If Dream was here, where ever here was, he would be able to chase away the numbness. If only Dream were here.

Where was Dream? He wants Dream-

Another pulse.

_-My skull hurts.-_

Ink was tired. Everything hurt, and he was so, so tired.

Was he supposed to fight this? He could dimly feel some part of him telling him to stay awake.

But staying awake was hard, too hard. It would be easier just to fall...

...asleep…

  
  
  
  


The first and only thing Ink could think about was how much his ribs and skull hated him at this very moment. Because ow, even breathing felt like a laborious task.

His head felt as if it were full of that stuff that people put in stuffed animals, “stuffies” he liked to call them. Mainly because it annoyed the heck out of Dream.

Focusing back on the matter at hand, the god struggled to take stock of his surroundings. His eyelids felt as if they were glued shut and his hearing was more than fuzzy, though the pain seemed to be doing an excellent job of helping him ground himself.

It took a moment, but Ink realized that he was not laying on the ground as he assumed, but hanging in the air. Not only that but the air he breathed in felt muggy, almost humid.

Was he in a Waterfall? Why was he in a Waterfall?

…

…

Oh… Error.

He had been fighting Error, over the special SwapFell copy, and things started to get out of hand. Then…

Ink’s face pinched. Error had slammed his head against the cavern wall! That jerk! 

This called for revenge, there was no way Ink was gonna let the glitch get away with this one. He would have his vengeance, and _ohohoh_ , would it be _sweet._

If only he could _see!_

Fortunately, Ink’s hearing was the first thing to start to come to him. The muffled blend of noise faintly separating into something he could identify. He could hear voices, still fuzzy to his stuffed skull but he didn’t need to know what they were saying to know who the voices belonged to.

The deep, glitching voice that he had grown so fond of was obviously Error’s. Though, the hissing, otherworldly screeching threw Ink for a loop.

Nightmare?

And it wasn’t just the voices he could hear, the sounds of strings whipping and solid forces hitting the ground below him.

Error and Nightmare… were fighting?

…

_AND HE WAS MISSING IT?!_

All thoughts of excitement and utter betrayal of his consciousness for not waking him up sooner were halted when something thick and smooth wrapped around one of his legs. The coldness of it made Ink shiver, though the unpleasant act caused what could only be called as a bucket of cold water being poured over his bones. A wave of awareness hit him.

Ink’s eyelids cracked open, although everything was a blurry mess, he didn’t need his sight to tell him what was wrapped around his leg.

Before the god could make an effort to kick off the tendril, the was a pained screech and the appendage slipped off of him limply.

Ink blinked again, trying to clear his vision but also trying to process what the hell was going on around him.

There could only be one reason why Nightmare was here, Ink may be an idiot but he knew Nightmare.

No, there was no way.

Was Error protecting him?

As much as it couldn’t make any sense, the explanation was so obvious no matter how Ink tried to think around it.

Because Error had knocked him out. He had been completely at the other’s mercy and yet, the one who swore his death more times than Ink could count…

Didn’t kill him.

_Holy shit._

Ink’s vision finally cleared enough for him to confirm his thoughts, and he watched in a pain drunken daze as Nightmare panted heavily.

Head still pounding, the only thing Ink could think at that moment as he watched Error close in on the corrupted guardian was how much teasing material he now had at his disposal.

That, and the soft smile and warm pulse of his eyelights was a nice feeling.

His nucleus felt warm.

* * *

“ ~~Are you happy with this result?~~ ”

Nightmare hissed from where he was against the wall, kneeling on the ground as his tentacles twisted around him. The sludge that covered him now actively dripping off of him, even though it was quickly being replaced with more, it made a show of how exhausted the guardian was.

Nightmare’s eyelight pulsed weakly, and his hissing scowl deepened at your jab. You watched as he tried to pull himself up, only to fall to his knees once more.

You raised an eyebrow, “ ~~Well?~~ ”

That seemed to snap whatever wall of restraint the other had built, as the guardian locked eyelights with you and hissed challengingly.

Blinking in surprise, you were quick to challenge back. You leaned forward into the other’s face, growling lowly as the red that backed your eye sockets bloomed across Nightmare’s face. The red almost overpowering his usual turquoise glow.

For a moment, the guardian didn’t look as if he was going to back down, but slowly his head started to lean downward, and his eyelight flicked to the side repeatedly before it refused to meet yours.

You didn’t let up, letting your dominant aura overpower the lower-ranked one. And it seemed to do its job, as Nightmare's hissing finally subsided, and his eyelight fixed itself on the ground in well-accepted defeat.

Your growl tampered off into a huff, leaning back, you gazed at Nightmare expectantly.

There was a long moment of silence before he was ready to admit his failure. **“Fine,”** It looked as if it physically hurt him to say that. **“But don’t expect me to lie down a deal with your power streak. There** **_will_ ** **be consequences for this.”**

You laughed at that, “ ~~Consequences? We both know that whatever consequence you could give me that would be worth a damn would be as much as a punishment for you.~~ ”

Nightmare blinked as he seemed to realized something, before his smile stretched wide. **“You seemed to have forgotten who I am. Come on Error, we both know that I am not above cutting things short to move towards a more desired result.”**

You narrowed your sockets at that, “ ~~And what exactly do you plan on doing?~~ ”

His smile only grew wider at your question, **“Expect me to spell it out for you? Now that would ruin the fun, wouldn’t it? Though, I’m sure you’ll do a fine job of picking up the pieces I’ve left for you on your own. After all, it only takes one drop of color to dye an entire glass a shade of black.”**

And with that last remark, he was gone.

You rolled your eyelights in annoyance, always so cryptic and vague. So helpful.

Turning around, you looked up to where you had left the artist strung up in your strings only to blink surprise. Ink stared down at you dazedly, his eyelights fuzzy and alternating between yellow and cyan dots at each sluggish blink.

You stared for a moment before your mind managed to catch up to the awkward silence. 

“ ~~You’re awake.~~ ” You stated dumbly.

Ink blinked again, like he needed a few seconds to decipher what you had said before giving a weak cheer in response. “ _Yepppppp._ Feels _so_ great to be conscious right now.”

You almost snorted at that, but instead, you swung the god down to the ground, watching as he laid there limply on his stomach, face pressed against the cool stone ground. 

You stepped closer, raising a brow, “ ~~Did you seriously pass out again?~~ ”

A weak groan was all that answered your question and you faintly recalled that head injuries and fast movements didn’t mix well. Oops.

Though, while the other had finally shut his trap for once, you might as well take advantage of it.

“ ~~Don’t do that again.~~ ”

Ink’s face moved from the ground, though the action was slow and cautious. His fizzy eyelights stared at yours, perplexed. “Uhhh, wha?”

You scoffed, “ ~~You heard me, don’t do that ever again.~~ ”

Ink blinked slowly, making a show of actively picking apart each word to study it before meeting your stare once more. “Do... what?”

“ ~~Pass out, idiot! You’re the one who always preaches about how exciting it is to fight me so you should at least stay awake for it!~~ ”

The artist’s eyelights finally decided on the color yellow as a slight grin worked his cheeks. “ _Awww_ Error! You do care.”

You felt your entire body glitch at that, the back of your throat clogging up and chest tightening at the sheer revulsion of the idea. An attachment was fine, you could deal with that. You were attached to OuterTale for stars sake!

But caring…

Actually caring about someone…

That was something you didn’t want to think about.

There was a strong confidence in your voice, though it glitched more than normal. “ ~~I don’t care about anyone. Especially not you.~~ ”

Ink didn’t take the hint, “Really? Then why am I not dead right now?”

Ah, there was the million-dollar question. Fortunately, you had prepared yourself accordingly for when it was to be voiced. “ ~~Nightmare decided to show his ugly mug before I could do anything, consider yourself lucky.~~ ”

Ink’s smile didn’t falter, “Somehow, I don’t fully believe that.”

“ ~~Believe what you what,~~ ” You grunted. “ ~~I couldn’t care less.~~ ”

The artist let out a pain strained laugh, “Well mister _“I-don’t-care-about-anyone”_ , here’s your chance.”

You blinked, not fully processing what had been said. You both continued to stare at each other, all while Ink’s smile seemed to turn both smug and hopeful.

“Well,” He said simply. “Go ahead.”

You continued to stare down, before barking out a laugh and summoning a pointed bone in your hand.

“ ~~You really think that I wouldn’t hesitate to end you right here and now?~~ ”

Ink’s smile only grew more genuine, and the yellow in his eyelights more vibrant. “No, I don't actually.”

…

You walked forward, only stopping when one foot was only an inch away from Ink’s face. “ ~~That is quite bold of you to assume.~~ ” Raising your foot, you placed it on top of Ink’s skull, trapping his chin to the stone ground and the top of his frontal bone to the bottom of your sandals. “ ~~Though Ink, you should know by now-~~ ”

Squeezing the bone in your hand tight, you put pressure onto the other’s skull, watching as the yellow in his eyelights flickered in between lavender.

Ink’s teeth were grit in pain but the emotion in his eyelights didn’t change, even with the switching colors. The way they stared into yours was in a way that the god had never looked at you before. It felt as if Ink was seeing straight through you, gazing deep within your mind as if he could pick apart every thought.

It was genuine understanding. And it made you feel sick.

You don’t care. _You don’t care._

“ ~~That blind trust never got anyone anywhere. And it sure won’t make an exception for you.~~ ” _...will it though…?_

You imagined it, envisioned Ink’s skull crushing under your foot like an eggshell. The imagery brought you nothing but a buzzing surreal feeling that you couldn’t describe. _You don’t care._

There was a small cracking sound and a choked gasped followed. His eyelights did not return to their yellow color but they continued to stare. _Stop staring. Stop looking at me like that. Stop it._

Your soul was screaming, but behind its muted sheen you couldn’t make out what it was screaming for. Everything suddenly seemed like too much. This was too much. 

You don’t care. You don’t care about Ink.

_You don’t._

Then something narrow and cyan whizzed past you, taking the bone in your hand with it and pinning it against the far wall.

You blinked, head whipping around to the entrance to the cavern to see Dream standing there, bow in hand with another arrow already nocked and aimed at you.

The golden guardian didn’t hesitate when making eye contact, marching forward with a purpose in his eyelights and a confidence that could rival Nightmares.

“Let Ink go.” His voice was stern, and the direct charge and command had actually managed to startle you enough in stepping back and off the artist. Though you didn’t waver in tightening your strings and throwing Ink back and behind you. The “waaa!” sound that escaped his mouth would have been funny if your mind wasn’t still trying to catch up to the fact that Dream had marched toward you like you hadn’t just beaten the smugness right out of his brother moments before.

Dream stopped advancing, close enough to make you wonder how a bow would be a wise choice of weapon but far enough away that he still had some distance.

“D-Dream!” Ink’s startled shout in surprise went seemly unnoticed by the spoken skeleton, his eyelights refusing to leave yours.

“Error.” His tone was short, but there was still a hint of warmness that the other always seemed to carry with him. “I know exactly what is going through your mind right now. This can be over in seconds. Just let go of Ink, and we’ll leave you alone.”

You smirked, oh did he now? 

You were mentally stressed from everything that had taken place in the last however many hours. Many of your principles could be questionable at this point but the one thing you did know, was that you weren’t going to be ordered around.

It may make things difficult for you, but it was the only mental pillar of your logic that you could hold onto right now.

So, your strings tightened around the body behind you. “ ~~And let you two get off scot-free? What’s the fun in that?~~ ”

Dreams expression tightened in a way that made it clear that he knew he had said the wrong thing. “Error, let Ink go. Please.”

You chuckled, but the emotion that paired with that action didn’t make its self known. “ ~~Ah ah ah, too late for that. Asking now won’t get you anywhere when you’ve already made it clear that wasn’t a question.~~ ”

The guardian bit his lip, finally making eye contact with Ink. He took a deep breath before his fingers tightened on the bow. “I’m sorry.”

You lifted Ink to his place on the ceiling once more, ignoring his protest of “Wait wait wait-!” as more strings were pulled from your eye sockets. “ ~~Apology accepted.~~ ”

With that Dream fired, the arrow whizzing past you as you dodged. You expected another arrow but you were greatly mistaken as a flash of gold encompassed your vision and you shot backward on pure instinct.

What stabbed the ground in front of you, had you in a double-take.

In Dreams hand was a short-handled golden scythe, the handle only going up to his waist and the blade matching its size. Instead of a smooth curve, the blade had almost a hooked end, the turning point accented but a sharp angle.

You blinked in surprise, not expecting the Guardian of Positivity to pull out a fricken scythe but today was full of surprises apparently.

Dream huffed quietly, almost struggling with himself for a moment before strengthening his will to fight.

For the first time, Destruction and Positivity locked each other in combat. Both opponents struggling to maintain their will to fight. One from mental exhaustion and the other from guilt and regret. 

Still, you weren’t going to let yourself back down. Fighting, even with a new opponent, was familiar, and you needed something familiar to ground yourself right now.

You could feel Ink’s gaze on you, and even though Dream didn’t spare it a glance it seemed to weigh on his shoulders while also simultaneously spurring him on.

“Guys! Could you uh… not fight?”

You ignored the comment, but Dreams shoulders tensed and his expression flashed in a way that spoke volumes.

“Not right now Ink!” The shout left no room for discussion, and Dream’s scythe seemed to swing with more of a resolve than before.

You moved in circles, strings sneaking the try and catch a limb while bones ripped through his clothes. Dreams scythe returning the favor every so often as the battle progressed.

Dream knew as well as you didn’t that he couldn’t win, not in the normal way. But whatever tactic he had in mind didn’t have a chance to show itself. Out of nowhere, Dream’s eyes widened in realization, and his steps faltered.

The misstep was quickly taken advantage of and your strings caught his scythe-wielding arm and dragged him upwards just enough that his feet wouldn’t be able to touch the ground.

More quickly wrapped around him, encasing the guardian as he struggled desperately.

You left Dream to hang there, lowing Ink back to the ground knowing that the artist was out of the other’s reach.

You felt completely mentally drained, but the multiverse clearly wasn’t done with you yet. As Dream locked eyelights with Ink, expression one of confused betrayal. “Ink! What are you doing?!”

You blinked, what was he doing? He wasn’t doing anything? Though looking down, the god’s guilty and conflicted expression spoke of something else.

“I… Dream, I…” There was a waver in Ink’s voice that you had never heard before, and your head pulsed with the promise of a migraine.

Dream didn’t give a chance for Ink to come up with something to say, he kept going. “Why haven’t you melted out of his grip yet? I was trying to get you time to escape! Why haven’t you done anything?!”

Everything went quiet in your head.

_What?_

You had forgotten. Ink can turn into a puddle of his name-sake and drift around. It’s what always made him so hard to catch.

So why…

His eyelights had regained their shape, no longer fuzzy or glazed over in pain.

Ink… 

_Ink was letting himself get caught by you._

“Ink!” There was a desperation in Dreams voice that made Ink flinch and look away. “Ink answer me, please!”

This was too much, it was all too much.

Your head filled with noise, a buzzing that gathered itself behind your eye sockets. It was all the reinforcement you needed to come to a resolution on your next move.

You turned on the spot, away from Dream and Ink, and opened up a portal to the Anti-Void, yanking Ink along with you.

Dreams eyelights shook in shock and fear, but he didn’t get to utter another word as the portal closed and he was dropped to the floor.

Sitting up, all he could think is that he might have just lost the only person in the multiverse that he cared for and who could return the favor. And similar to the way he lost his brother. If he had been quicker, if he had done more, known sooner.

Then maybe he would have saved his second chance at a fresh start of a life beyond existing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dream: INK WTF?!  
> Ink: Okay I know this is stupid, but I got a plan here.  
> Dream: WHAT TYPE OF PLAN DO YOU HAVE THAT COULD EXPLAIN THIS?  
> Error: What the fuck is happening.
> 
> Hooooo boy! That was a ride to write. But look! Dream Boi is here, yayyyy! This chapter was a prelude to a lot of different things that are about to start happening. A hint towards Ink and Dreams relationship as friends. What Nightmare is planning and what his motives are. Error's fears and mental instability, as while as the start of his complicated dynamic with Ink.
> 
> There is a lot of shit that his about to go down, the only question is; who is going to be hit with the consequences of the fallout?
> 
> This Chapter: Prelude to disaster 
> 
> Next Chapter: Words and white paint

**Author's Note:**

> Discord- https://discord.gg/Ur2dXWsQpT
> 
> Tumblr- https://develation.tumblr.com/


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